North Korea, renewing its call for an early resumption of inter-Korean dialogue, proposed to hold such talks at least within a month.
The North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland Saturday proposed that the talks be held in the North's border town of Gaeseong in late January or early February.
Earlier, the communist state proposed "unconditional and early" resumption of inter-Korean talks to defuse tension that arose after the North's sinking of a South Korean warship in March last year and its bombing of a South Korean island near the western sea border in November.
The North Korean committee also proposed holding Red Cross talks in Gaeseong late January or in the first half of February to discuss the resumption of tours to a South Korea-built resort in the North's Mount Geumgang.
In reply, South Korea's Unification Ministry again raised questions about the intentions behind the North Korean proposal.
"We are checking whether North Korea has sent official messages to our government or the military," said a ministry official. "Without these, the proposal is not an official dialogue offer, just a unilateral announcement."
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