Foreign minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said that Seoul's proposal to improve ties "lacks sincerity" on Sunday.
"Given the current situation in which the South collaborates with the US to heap pressure on the North, such proposals lacked sincerity," said DPRK's foreign minister Ri Yong Ho.
File photo of DPRK's foreign minister Ri Yong Ho /Reuters Photo
Ri met with his counterpart from the Republic of Korea (ROK), Kang Kyung-wha, on the sidelines of ASEAN Regional Forum in the Philippine capital of Manila, Yonhap reported.
Kang urged Ri to accept Seoul's offer for military talks to lower tensions on the divided peninsula and discussions regarding a new round of reunions for divided families.
File Photo of ROK's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-Wha (centre) /AFP Photo
The encounter came a day after the UN Security Council passed sweeping sanctions on the DPRK over its recent intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBMs) test launches, which sparked global alarm.
The growing threat from the DPRK dominated the annual forum, which came days after the DPRK's second ICBM test.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday China supports inter-Korean dialogue and believes resuming dialogue is necessary to ease regional tensions.
US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-In agreed that DPRK "poses a grave and growing direct threat," in a phone call on Sunday night.
Screenshot of US President Donald Trump's tweet
The two leaders affirmed that DPRK poses a threat to the US, ROK and Japan, as well as to most countries around the world," the White House said during the call, in which the pair welcomed the sweeping sanctions.
"The leaders committed to fully implement all relevant resolutions and to urge the international community to do so as well."
(Source: Reuters, AFP)
Related stories:
