Denuclearization should come first before talks resume with Pyongyang: unification ministry

South Korea on Monday said denuclearization should come first before any talks resume with North Korea, emphasizing that it is currently facing a "critical" moment that can determine whether to prevent Pyongyang's continued pursuit of nuclear weapons.

In a report to the National Assembly's foreign affairs and unification committee, the unification ministry said it will keep working on sanctions and pressure against the North to induce a change in its "strategic calculus."

"In response to the North's repeated nuclear and missile provocations, (we) will pursue its denuclearization and tangible changes as the top priority," the ministry said. "For its dialogue and exchange proposals, (we) will respond with a firm stance that denuclearization should come first."

The North is faced with sanctions led by the U.N. Security Council, which adopted its toughest-ever resolution in March to punish Pyongyang for its fourth nuclear and long-range ballistic missile tests earlier this year. 

(Yonhap)

Despite the sanctions, the North has ratcheted up tensions by test-launching missiles, while at the same time proposing talks with the South.
Tensions grew further recently as the North claimed the successful test-firing of its Musudan mid-range ballistic missile

The unification ministry urged Pyongyang to show more action than words with regard to the denuclearization issue, saying that any "hasty" resumption of talks could undermine global cooperation and sanctions against the communist country.

"The current situation is at a very critical moment that will determine whether it is possible to prevent the North from developing nuclear weapons or not," the ministry said.

"While coping with threats from the North, the government will do its best in carrying out sanctions in tandem with the international community to make the North choose the road toward denuclearization and have meaningful talks," the ministry added. (Yonhap)