By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff reporter

South Korea has shown signs of softening its position on North Korea who it blamed for sinking the Navy ship Cheonan in March.

Seoul appeared to have made a strategic choice regarding inter-Korean relations as it considered the international headlines on the catastrophic security state on the Korean Peninsula no help for the economy.

President Lee Myung-bak called for a national security strategy that can pave the way for the reunification of the two Koreas, not something that would lead the nation into confrontation.

During a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Lee unveiled his view on national security, saying it has become a major topic after the ship sinking near the maritime border in the West Sea on March 26. The tragedy claimed the lives of 46 sailors.

"When we say national security, words such as confrontation or face-off tend to come to our minds. I think now is the time for us to chart a security strategy that can usher the nation into reunification," he said.

Lee put priority on reunification, not confrontation, at a time when tensions are mounting on the peninsula.

Observers speculate that his remarks may imply that the government will take a step back strategically, to avoid war on the peninsula.

Seoul also toned down the nature of the retaliatory U.N. Security Council (UNSC) measure it was seeking Wednesday by shifting its focus from opening both options of binding and non-binding measures earlier to a non-binding resolution.

The stance came a day after the Ministry of Unification eased sanctions on North Korea by allowing the shipment of four kinds of products, including garlic and garments, which were processed in North Korean manufacturing factories from North to South Korea.

Last week, the Ministry of National Defense put off plans to drop propaganda leaflets and send radio broadcasts via loudspeakers near the inter-Korean border.

The move came days after Pyongyang showed an extremely nervous reaction, threatening to fire at the loudspeakers if Seoul went ahead with the plan.

Chun Yung-woo, second vice foreign minister, told reporters in Washington Wednesday that South Korea would seek a non-binding UNSC resolution aimed at issuing a clear warning of the grave consequences that face North Korea if it commits belligerent acts.

"The measure will be more political and symbolic," Chun said.

His remarks followed his meeting with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, indicating that the two sides agreed on the nature of the UNSC action.

Chun flew to Washington for a policy coordination meeting with U.S. officials regarding the nature and timing of the UNSC measure.

The South Korean official made it clear that the two sides had not discussed any additional sanctions.

The United Nations imposed a set of sanctions on North Korea after the latter test-fired missiles and conducted a second underground nuclear test.

Chun's remarks came at a time when South Korea's diplomatic efforts to convince China and Russia to join the Seoul-led campaign to refer the Cheonan case to the UNSC have appeared not to bear fruit so far.

Both Beijing and Moscow echoed that maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula is important.