By Jun Ji-hye
North Korea has refused to accept a resolution approved by South Korean National Assembly calling for the resumption of inter-Korean talks, the Ministry of Unification said, Friday.
“We tried to deliver the resolution Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, but the North rejected it, citing orders from above,” a ministry official said on the condition of anonymity.
The resolution that passed the Assembly’s plenary session on Dec. 9 called on the two Koreas to talk and cooperate in a bid to thaw tensions on the peninsula.
Expressing regret over Pyongyang’s continuous military provocations, the resolution also asked for talks without conditions to discuss humanitarian assistance for people in the repressive state.
The resolution also called for the need to step up efforts to conduct inter-Korean parliamentary talks.
“It is regretful that the North has declined to accept the resolution, despite its calls for more active dialogue and negotiations,” the ministry official said.
The rejection came amid reconciliatory atmosphere building up on the peninsula.
On Dec. 29, Seoul proposed holding minister-level inter-Korean talks sometime in January to discuss mutual concerns including the reunion of families separated during the 1950-53 Korean War.
For his part, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un even referred to holding the inter-Korean summit in a televised New Year speech, saying, “Depending on the mood and circumstances to be created, we have no reason not to hold the highest-level talks.”