North's hostility cause of strained ties: unification minister

SEOUL, Feb. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's unification minister on Monday put the
blame on Pyongyang for the confrontational mood between the two Koreas but vowed
to persistently seek talks with the North.

"The South's policy on North Korea is not the cause of the chill in relations.
The cause is the North's hardline position towards the South," Hyun In-taek was
quoted as saying at a meeting with leaders of the ruling Grand National Party
(GNP).
The comments by the newly appointed minister comes as the North issues repeated
warnings of an armed clash with the South. On Jan. 31, Pyongyang declared it was
scrapping a 1991 non-aggression agreement with Seoul, and that it will no longer
respect the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border between the two
Koreas.
Pyongyang, which vowed to take an "all-out confrontational posture" against the
South, has sharply raised its aggressive rhetoric since the launch of the
conservative government in Seoul last year under President Lee Myung-bak.
Intelligence reports suggest the North may now be preparing a long-range missile
test.
Hyun said that the North will not likely accept any proposals for talks between
working-level officials, but promised the government "will do all that it can" to
try to soothe the strained relations.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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