South Korea on Friday renewed its call for North Korea to accept proposals for closer inter-Korean ties as Seoul is set to mark the first anniversary of President Park Geun-hye’s landmark unification vision.
Saturday marks one year since Park unveiled the so-called Dresden Declaration in the former East German capital. Park unveiled her initiative to lay the groundwork for a future reunification of the two Koreas and made an array of proposals for exchange programs with the communist North.
One year since the much-trumpeted announcement, little progress has been made in inter-Korean relations with Seoul’s December proposal for high-level talks with the North falling apart in the absence of a response from Pyongyang.
“The Dresden vision was a proposal of a sustainable frame for (inter-Korean) cooperation, which seeks the development of inter-Korean relations and eventually the unification of the countries,” the Ministry of Unification said in a statement marking the anniversary. “The proposal left open the possibility for the North Korean side to come up with its own proposal of interest.”
Under the broad initiative, the government has continuously offered talks with North Korea and sought humanitarian, social and cultural exchanges with the communist country, the statement said, adding that some of them have made meaningful results.
But it is regretful that the North has shown little reaction to Seoul’s overtures. If only the North responds to them positively, then the Dresden vision may become the foundation for mutually-beneficial bilateral relations, the statement noted.
Sticking to the 2014 plan, Seoul will continue to explore ways to step up inter-Korean cooperation and build mutual trust, the statement said, calling for North Korea’s cooperation down the road.
Touching on the Saturday anniversary, unification ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol again prodded the North to open up to negotiations, saying that “If the North comes to the negotiating table in acceptance of the spirit of the Dresden Declaration, it could put forth its proposals which can then be discussed together.” (Yonhap)
