By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
The government is considering establishing a taskforce to map out mid- and long-term measures regarding relations between Seoul and Pyongyang, a government source said Wednesday.
The move comes as President Lee Myung-bak instructed the Ministry of Unification to work out a wider range of plans for inter-Korean ties during a briefing session last week.
``The plan aims at substantially improving North Korea policies, which the ministry has been responsible for. The taskforce will help check current policies and draw a big picture of future plans,'' the source said, adding that the team is also expected to present measures to draw changes from the secretive state, which has refused to have talks with the South.
President Lee stressed in his New Year's speech that he is willing to talk with North Korea and cooperate as a partner.
He urged the communist state to respond to his calls for dialogue.
Ties between the two Koreas have soured since conservative Lee took office early last year with a vow to toughen the South's stance toward the North.
As a retaliatory measure, Pyongyang restricted border-crossings and expelled nearly 70 percent of personnel from a joint industrial complex in Gaeseong on Dec. 1.
ksy@koreatimes.co.kr
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