(LEAD) S. Korea to push for regular high-level talks with N.K.

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SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's unification ministry said Friday that it will push to regularize high-level talks with North Korea and provide humanitarian aid to vulnerable people there, as it makes inter-Korean reconciliation a policy priority for this year.

In a 2018 policy briefing, the ministry vowed efforts to restore stalled inter-Korean relations by tapping momentum from next month's PyeongChang Winter Olympics in three ways -- the regularization of high-level talks, the resumption of exchanges and cooperation in the humanitarian sector.

The two Koreas held high-level talks on Jan. 9, the first formal talks in more than two years, to discuss the North's participation in the Feb. 9-25 Winter Olympics. They agreed to continue to open high-level talks but fell short of agreeing to hold them on a regular basis.

"The government will seek regular high-level meetings to discuss ways to enhance inter-Korean relations comprehensively," the ministry said.

"Seoul also will seek sectoral talks with Pyongyang. It will pursue an improvement in ties and the resolution of North Korea's nuclear issue in tandem," it added.

Liberal President Moon Jae-in voiced hope that better inter-Korean relations will pave the way for the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue and for broader dialogue between the United States and the North.

The ministry said it hopes that by the end of this year, the two Koreas can have frequent dialogue, setting conditions for talks aimed at having the North give up nuclear weapons.

"Based on inter-Korean talks and international coordination, we hope that North Korea can be induced into negotiations to discuss the North's denuclearization," it said.

It added that Seoul wants phased and comprehensive denuclearization talks to kick off if the North freezes its nuclear weapons program.

The government said that it will encourage civilian inter-Korean exchanges in various fields under the boundary of international sanctions.

The ministry added that it plans to focus on humanitarian issues, including the reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War and the provision of aid.

During the latest high-level talks, the two Koreas failed to agree to hold reunions of divided families in the Lunar New Year's holiday that overlaps with the Winter Games, as the North attached conditions to them.

In exchange for the reunions, it is demanding Seoul return 12 female North Korean workers who worked at a restaurant in China and defected to South Korea en masse in 2016. The South rejects the North's claim, saying they defected of their own free will.

The government's plan to offer aid to North Korean infants and pregnant women is likely to gather pace this year.

Last year, Seoul approved a plan to offer US$8 million in aid to North Korea through international organizations, but it has yet to implement it amid North Korea's provocations.

sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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