South Korea's unification minister dismissed calls for conversation with the North on Friday, saying sanctions are the "best recipe" to get Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons program.
On a local radio program, Hong Young-pyo also said that the government is not considering an inter-Korean summit.
"We cannot say when and whether we will hold an inter-Korean summit and are not considering any such talks," Hong said, when asked if there is any possibility for leaders of the two Koreas to meet in the near future.
"What is important is how to induce denuclearization from the North," he noted. "The best recipe at this moment for resolving the matter is sanctions."
Hong said that there is some demand for resuming talks with the North to dissuade the country from seeking nuclear weapons but noted that the time is not right for them and that talks cannot break the current logjam.
He declined to elaborate on U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's recent call for talks with the North but said that Ban also emphasized first that the communist country has to think about the meaning of U.N. sanctions and should return to full compliance with its international obligations.
On Thursday, Ban, who is on a six-day trip to his home country here, called for engaging North Korea in talks, saying he stands ready to contribute in any way he can. He also encouraged the North to "cease any further provocations and return to full compliance with its international obligations."
North Korea was slapped with toughened sanctions in March under a U.N. Security Council resolution adopted in response to its fourth nuclear test in January and long-range rocket launch a month later. (Yonhap)
On a local radio program, Hong Young-pyo also said that the government is not considering an inter-Korean summit.
"We cannot say when and whether we will hold an inter-Korean summit and are not considering any such talks," Hong said, when asked if there is any possibility for leaders of the two Koreas to meet in the near future.
"What is important is how to induce denuclearization from the North," he noted. "The best recipe at this moment for resolving the matter is sanctions."
Hong said that there is some demand for resuming talks with the North to dissuade the country from seeking nuclear weapons but noted that the time is not right for them and that talks cannot break the current logjam.
He declined to elaborate on U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's recent call for talks with the North but said that Ban also emphasized first that the communist country has to think about the meaning of U.N. sanctions and should return to full compliance with its international obligations.
On Thursday, Ban, who is on a six-day trip to his home country here, called for engaging North Korea in talks, saying he stands ready to contribute in any way he can. He also encouraged the North to "cease any further provocations and return to full compliance with its international obligations."
North Korea was slapped with toughened sanctions in March under a U.N. Security Council resolution adopted in response to its fourth nuclear test in January and long-range rocket launch a month later. (Yonhap)
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