Cheong Wa Dae seeks to resume dialogue with Pyongyang

By Yoo Cheong-mo
SEOUL, Oct. 12 (Yonhap) -- The office of President Lee Myung-bak said on Sunday
that Washington's removal of North Korea from its terrorism blacklist would pave
the ground for improving long-chilled inter-Korean relations.
Following the inauguration of the conservative South Korean president in
February, all channels of inter-Korean dialogue have been suspended.
"The South Korean government has steadily made efforts to reopen dialogue with
North Korea. We wish for the latest progress in the talks on the denuclearization
of the Korean Peninsula to lead to the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue," said
a ranking official of the presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae.
"We also wish the delisting of North Korea from the terrorism list will pave the
ground for the U.S. and North Korea to agree on the verification and
dismantlement methods for the North's nuclear program," said the official.
The official said he expected that North Korea may soon meet other members of the
long-stalled six-party nuclear talks -- South Korea, the U.S., China, Japan and
Russia -- for detailed discussions on the verification of its nuclear
disablement.
President Lee has demanded that South and North Korea immediately resume dialogue
across the board for discussions on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,
implementation of the existing inter-Korean summit agreements and cross-border
humanitarian and economic cooperation.
Lee recently proposed creating a unified economic zone on the Korean Peninsula
through inter-Korean dialogue and economic cooperation, saying the inter-Korean
relations would eventually be restored if North Korea came to understand his deep
affection towards the North Korean people.