简体中文
South Korea on Wednesday urged the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to more actively participate in preparations necessary for holding the agreed reunion of separated families.
Unification Ministry Spokesman Kim Eui-do told a press briefing that the government sent a notice in the name of the Korean Red Cross chairman to the DPRK Wednesday morning to express regrets over Pyongyang's "passive and unclear" attitude towards preparations necessary for the agreed family reunion.
South Korea proposed on Monday to hold the reunion of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War from Feb. 17 to 22 at the DPRK 's scenic resort of Mount Kumgang. The DPRK said last week that Seoul can set the dates for the reunion at its convenience.
To sort out details on the reunion, which the two Koreas agreed to hold last Friday, Seoul proposed to hold working-level contacts between Red Cross officials at Tonilgak, an administrative building on the DPRK side of the truce village of Panmunjeom.
As the DPRK gave no response to the dialogue proposal until Tuesday, the working-level contacts became unable to be held on Wednesday.
Kim urged Pyongyang to make clear its stance on Seoul's proposal for the reunion dates if it is willing to hold the reunion event.
The DPRK's National Defense Commission sent a notice Monday to South Korea's top presidential security adviser Kim Jang-soo, saying that South Korea should cancel its scheduled firing drills near the disputed western sea border.
In response, Seoul sent a notice to Pyongyang on Tuesday morning, saying that the drill is "legitimate" as it has been conducted in its territorial waters regularly.South Korea stressed that the family reunion should not be affected by the naval firing drill, according to Defense Ministry Spokesman Kim Min-seok.
Despite the DPRK's protest, South Korean Marine Corps carried out firing exercise near the western border islands of Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong on Tuesday afternoon.
South Korea has strengthened its military capabilities near the western sea border following the DPRK's artillery attack on the Yeonpyeong island in 2010, which killed four South Koreans.
Seoul and Washington are set to conduct their annual military drills from late February to April, which Pyongyang has denounced as a rehearsal for the northward invasion.
