South Korea's point man on North Korea expressed hope Tuesday that Pyongyang will quickly stabilize and come forward for talks with Seoul.
South Korea has been seeking to have dialogue with North Korea to ease tension that still persists over the North's two deadly attacks on the South in 2010.
"I hope that North Korea will quickly restore stability and come forward for dialogue," Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik said in a meeting with more than 60 experts on North Korean affairs.
Yu said North Korea appears to be concentrating its efforts on stabilizing the country after the funeral of its leader Kim Jong-il, who suddenly died of a heart attack last month.
North Korea's new leader Kim Jong-un, believed to be in his late 20s, appears to be consolidating the power he inherited from his father, Kim Jong-il, according to officials and experts.
Yu said he expects North Korea's new leadership to change the communist country by moving in the right direction.
His comments came after North Korea has ruled out any policy changes and vowed not to deal with South Korea's conservative government over what it claims is Seoul's anti-national act over Kim's passing.
South Korea did not send an official mourning delegation to Pyongyang. It only approved a condolence trip by private delegations led by two high-profile women who have ties with North Korea.
No high-level talks have been held between the two divided Koreas since 2008 when the conservative Lee Myung-bak government took power with a hard-line policy toward Pyongyang. (Yonhap)
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