Unification ministry expects U.S. delisting to positively affect inter-Korean ties

By Shim Sun-ah
SEOUL, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Unification Ministry said Monday it
expects North Korea's removal from a U.S. terrorism blacklist will positively
influence inter-Korean ties.
North Korea said on Sunday it would resume disabling its plutonium-producing
nuclear plant and allow in inspectors after Washington announced a decision to
remove the communist state from the list.
"We hope it will bring a positive effect in improving inter-Korean relations,"
Kim Ho-nyoun, spokesman for the ministry dealing with North Korea, told
reporters.
"We are considering readjusting various (inter-Korean cooperation) programs," he
said. The consideration is inclusive of Seoul's delivery of food and energy aid
to the North, he added.
He, however, did not specify further about the scope of changes.
Pyongyang cut off dialogue with Seoul after its new President Lee Myung-bak took
office in late February and pledged to take a tougher stance on the North. Ties
have deteriorated further since July 11 when a North Korean soldier shot dead a
Seoul housewife who allegedly crossed into a fenced-off military zone during her
tour to Mount Geumgang on the North's east coast.
Lee has vowed to link large-scale inter-Korean cooperation programs to progress
in North Korea's nuclear disarmament.