South Korea urges resumption of dialogue with North Korea

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Sunday renewed his call for dialogue with North Korea, days after Pyongyang rejected the prospect of diplomatic engagement with Seoul.

Since taking office in June, the dovish leader has sought to repair strained inter-Korean ties. However, the nuclear-armed North reaffirmed its hardline stance toward the South during a party meeting last week.

“As my administration has repeatedly made clear, we respect the North’s system and will neither engage in any type of hostile acts, nor pursue any form of unification by absorption,” Lee said in a speech marking the anniversary of a historic campaign against Japan’s colonial rule. “We will also continue our efforts to resume dialogue with the North,” he added.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un poured cold water on hopes of a thaw, dismissing Seoul’s outreach as a “clumsy, deceptive farce and a poor work.”

Addressing a party congress in Pyongyang, Kim said North Korea has “absolutely no business dealing with South Korea, its most hostile entity,” and would permanently remove the South from the category of compatriots.

At the same time, Kim suggested Pyongyang could “get along well” with the United States if Washington recognizes its nuclear status.

Speculation has grown over whether US President Donald Trump might pursue another meeting with Kim during upcoming travel to China. Last year, Trump said he was “100 percent” open to a summit.

Previous Trump-Kim meetings during Trump’s first term ultimately collapsed after the two sides failed to bridge differences over sanctions relief and the scope of North Korea’s nuclear concessions.