South Korea on Wednesday urged North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program and stop reckless provocations as the two Koreas marked the 16th anniversary of their first summit meeting.

A summit between then-South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and then-North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, the late father of the current leader Kim Jong-un, was held in Pyongyang on June 15, 2000.

It produced a landmark joint declaration that outlines inter-Korean reconciliation and economic cooperation.

Seoul's unification ministry said that North Korea is sticking to its nuclear weapons program and is persistently engaged in provocations despite South Korea's efforts for reconciliation.

"The North's acts hurt the spirit of cross-border agreements.

It should stop its threat of reckless provocations and abandon nuclear weapons for better ties between the two sides that can lead towards peaceful unification," Park Soo-jin, the deputy spokesperson for the ministry, said in a regular press briefing.

North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and launched a long-range rocket in the following month that caused the U.N. Security Council to slap tougher sanctions against the reclusive country.

North Korea's incumbent leader Kim proposed to hold inter-Korean military talks at the congress by the Workers' Party of Korea held in early May. Seoul rejected the North's offer as a propaganda ploy without sincerity.

Analysts said that the communist country appears bent on driving a wedge in the united front to enforce the U.N. sanctions.

North Korea continued its charm offensive toward Seoul at the summit anniversary, saying that the implementation of the June 15 declaration is key to enhancing the two Koreas' ties.

"South Korea should stop confrontational acts and accept our offer for dialogue which we believe will ease military tension," the Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, said in a commentary. (Yonhap)