DPRK proposes dialogue with ROK political parties

Xinhua, February 12, 2011

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) proposed dialogue with South Korea's political parties for easing tensions between the two sides, local media reported on Friday.

The proposal, enclosed in a two-page letter received by Seoul's four major political parties on Friday, including the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), was sent by the DPRK's Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, Seoul's Yonhap News Agency reported, citing leaders of the related parties.

Along with the letter, Pyongyang also sent three documents including a joint New Year editorial and a combined statement issued by Pyongyang's government, political parties and social institutions last month.

In the letter to the ruling GNP, dated Feb. 2, Pyongyang expressed its willingness to discuss key issues of the nation with the south in a frank way, either ruling parties or opposition parties, either progressive forces or conservative forces, local reports said.

It hopes the GNP, as the ruling party in South Korea, will make major contribution to improving inter-Korean ties and achieving peace and unification.

While in the letter to the DP, Pyongyang said politicians of both sides should play a leading role in breaking the current impasse, according to Yonhap.

The DPRK has made a series of conciliatory gestures since early January, repeating call for unconditional and early inter-Korean talks to help defuse cross-border tension. But Seoul only agreed to hold military talks, and agreed to a Red Cross talks proposal "in principle."

However, the two-day colonel-level military talks, held on Feb. 8-9 at the truce village of Panmunjom, ended without breakthrough, and the two estranged neighbors failed to agree on agenda for the proposed high-level talks as they remain sharply at odds over a sinking of a South Korean warship March last year and shelling of an inhabited South Korean island near the disputed sea border off the west coast of the Korean peninsula last November.