By Kang Seung-woo
President Park Geun-hye called Tuesday for a "carrot-and-stick" policy for dealing with North Korea, saying she will seek ways to boost inter-Korean dialogue this year while dealing sternly with its military threats.
She said that the government should make efforts to improve inter-Korean relations after a conciliatory gesture from North Korea.
However, at the same time, she ordered the military to strengthen the nation's defenses against possible provocations.
"We need to do our best to build a foundation for a peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula. It is my hope that we can make a peaceful Korean Peninsula to ensure that our people can move beyond the North's provocations and threats," Park said during the first Cabinet meeting of the year at Cheong Wa Dae.
"Fortunately, the North is showing its intention to honor the Aug. 25 agreement, so the government needs to make efforts to improve the inter-Korean ties by increasing civil exchanges and holding family reunions."
Her calls came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed on Friday to improve ties with the South during his New Year's Day speech, saying that he is "open to talks with anyone" wishing for peace and unification without mentioning the repressive state's nuclear weapons program.
In addition, Kim called on the South to implement the inter-Korean deal in August to defuse military tensions across the border, sparked by the landmine attack by the North in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Two South Korean soldiers were seriously injured in the blast.
As part of the deal, the two Koreas held high-level talks about how to mend ties last month, but they ended the meeting without any agreement.
Park also said that the military should not let its guard down even for a minute, citing an unspecified crucial period in terms of security.
"More than anything else, a strong national defense is important groundwork for inter-Korean relations, so the military should beef up its capabilities, establish military discipline and root out corruption in the defense industry," she said.
For decades, the North has had a track record of carrying out provocations against the South, including the sinking of the naval ship Cheonan and the shelling of the border island of Yeonpyeong, both in 2010, resulting in a total death toll of 50 South Koreans.
In December, the North Korean leader claimed that his country had become a "powerful nuclear weapons state ready to detonate a hydrogen bomb."
Although the South Korean government does not fully buy into this claim, the North is believed to have entered the middle stages of developing a hydrogen bomb that would pose additional threats to neighboring countries as well as to the South.
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| President Park |
She said that the government should make efforts to improve inter-Korean relations after a conciliatory gesture from North Korea.
However, at the same time, she ordered the military to strengthen the nation's defenses against possible provocations.
"We need to do our best to build a foundation for a peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula. It is my hope that we can make a peaceful Korean Peninsula to ensure that our people can move beyond the North's provocations and threats," Park said during the first Cabinet meeting of the year at Cheong Wa Dae.
"Fortunately, the North is showing its intention to honor the Aug. 25 agreement, so the government needs to make efforts to improve the inter-Korean ties by increasing civil exchanges and holding family reunions."
Her calls came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed on Friday to improve ties with the South during his New Year's Day speech, saying that he is "open to talks with anyone" wishing for peace and unification without mentioning the repressive state's nuclear weapons program.
In addition, Kim called on the South to implement the inter-Korean deal in August to defuse military tensions across the border, sparked by the landmine attack by the North in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Two South Korean soldiers were seriously injured in the blast.
As part of the deal, the two Koreas held high-level talks about how to mend ties last month, but they ended the meeting without any agreement.
Park also said that the military should not let its guard down even for a minute, citing an unspecified crucial period in terms of security.
"More than anything else, a strong national defense is important groundwork for inter-Korean relations, so the military should beef up its capabilities, establish military discipline and root out corruption in the defense industry," she said.
For decades, the North has had a track record of carrying out provocations against the South, including the sinking of the naval ship Cheonan and the shelling of the border island of Yeonpyeong, both in 2010, resulting in a total death toll of 50 South Koreans.
In December, the North Korean leader claimed that his country had become a "powerful nuclear weapons state ready to detonate a hydrogen bomb."
Although the South Korean government does not fully buy into this claim, the North is believed to have entered the middle stages of developing a hydrogen bomb that would pose additional threats to neighboring countries as well as to the South.
