Seoul stresses upon improved ties with Pyongyang

Seoul, Aug 23 (IANS) South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday stressed upon the need for improved relations with North Korea for a denuclearised Korean peninsula.

Moon made the remarks during a meeting with officials from the foreign and unification ministries, Xinhua news agency cited the presidential Blue House as saying.

The meeting was arranged to hear the opinions of the working-level officials about security and foreign affairs.

When the South Korea-North Korea relations were good, the Korean peninsula issue showed a hope of resolution and the peninsula's situations were stably managed, Moon said. "(We) need to look back on that experience."

Under the late liberal Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun from 1998 to 2008, inter-Korean relations were better than under the conservative governments in the past decade.

Kim and Roh held summit meetings with late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, father of the current leader Kim Jong-un, in 2000 and 2007.

Under their presidencies, the six-party talks to denuclearise the peninsula were actively held.

The aid-for-disarmament talks, which involved South Korea, North Korea, China, the US, Russia and Japan have been suspended since late 2008.

Moon said the unification ministry should focus on materialising the New Economic Initiative of the Korean Peninsula, which was advocated by the South Korean President to enhance inter-Korean relations.

Experts here expected Moon to inherit the Sunshine Policy, advocated by his liberal predecessors, of engagement with North Korea through economic cooperation and the exchanges of culture, sports and personnel.

Moon said that if the initiative was materialised, it would lay the foundation for peace on the peninsula and in northeast Asia, contributing to South Korea's economic growth and job creation.