Bern: South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik called for the reopening of dialogue between North and South Korea on Wednesday, despite tensions between the two neighbors, according to Yonhap News Agency.
According to Anadolu Agency, Woo made his statements at the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament held in Switzerland. He emphasized that both countries have ceased activities that were emblematic of hostility, such as loudspeaker broadcasts, sending propaganda leaflets and balloons filled with waste across the border, and jamming signals.
"Despite the difficulties, channels for dialogue must remain open," Woo asserted, signaling the urgency of maintaining communication between the two nations.
His remarks are particularly significant as they come just two days after Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, publicly rejected Seoul's proposal for talks. She dismissed President Lee Jae-myung's attempts to ease military tensions and restore communication between the two Koreas.
Since taking office last month, the Lee administration has taken proactive steps to reduce tensions with North Korea. These measures include suspending border propaganda broadcasts and urging civic organizations to cease anti-Pyongyang activities, demonstrating the government's commitment to restarting dialogue.
Previously, Kim Yo Jong stated that Pyongyang was not interested in any proposals from South Korea, asserting that North Korea would not engage in talks. She accused President Lee of being no different from his predecessor, claiming he blindly adheres to the South Korea-US alliance, thus pursuing a confrontational stance with North Korea.