Unification minister calls for N. Korea to act responsibly

The nominee to lead South Korea's policy toward North Korea on Wednesday called on Pyongyang to take responsible actions over its two deadly attacks on the South last year. South Korea has repeatedly pressed North Korea to apologize for the 2010 sinking of a South Korean warship blamed on Pyongyang and the North's shelling of a South Korean border island. Still, the North has refused to take responsibility for the provocations that killed 50 South Koreans. Yu Woo-ik, who was tapped last month to become the next unification minister, said he would explore ways to exercise flexibility in dealing with the North, but said Pyongyang must first take responsible actions for the development of inter-Korean relations. "It's not time to discuss an exit measure," Yu said in a parliamentary confirmation hearing seen largely as a formality. The National Assembly does not have the power to block Yu's appointment. Yu's comment suggested that Seoul's stance on Pyongyang is unlikely to change anytime soon unless the North first apologizes for its attacks on the South. Yu's nomination had raised guarded hope that Seoul could try to improve relations with Pyongyang amid diplomatic efforts to resume long-stalled talks on ending North Korea's nuclear weapons programs. North Korea calls for an early resumption of the nuclear talks without any pre-conditions, but Seoul and Washington demand the North first take initial steps toward denuclearization before resuming the talks that also involve China, Russia and Japan.