South Korea's parliamentary speaker on Sunday called for efforts to resume dialogue with North Korea, noting sanctions alone cannot ensure peace on the Korean Peninsula.

   "North Korea's continued military provocations are a threat to peace. But to induce North Korea's change, there is as much need for dialogue as sanctions and pressure," National Assembly Speaker Chung Sey-kyun said in his congratulatory remarks at the inaugural meeting of the Asia-Europe Political Forum held at a Seoul hotel.

   "I wish we could gather our wisdom not for rejection but to embrace each other and strive for tolerance at this meeting," he added, according to his office.

   Chung's remarks come amid international efforts to condemn North Korea's latest missile launch in a fresh UN Security Council resolution.

   Pyongyang test-launched what it claims is its first intercontinental ballistic missile in a clear violation of UNSC resolutions that prohibit its development of nuclear weapons and means of delivery. (Yonhap)