Seoul rejects North Korea's talks offer as "propaganda"

Source: Reuters

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea has dismissed a North Korean call for unconditional talks to ease tensions, saying on Thursday the offer was "propaganda" it does not take seriously.

The North's gesture on Wednesday came as the United States met Chinese and South Korean officials for talks about how to calm the Korean peninsula and persuade the North to stop its nuclear work.

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Seoul, which wants an apology after North Korea's deadly shelling of a South Korean island off disputed waters in November, said Pyongyang's call for talks was an empty gesture.

"North Korea previously issued statements like this early in the year ... they are normally done as part of (a) propaganda campaign toward the South," a Unification Ministry official said. "We do not consider this is as a serious proposal for dialogue. It is not even in the correct and appropriate format."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110106/wl_nm/us_korea_north

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Related LBN OP: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4684192">North Korea calls for 'unconditional' talks with South

The leader of S. Korea is trying to make a name for himself because of his lackluster popularity. The sinking of the S Korean sub was never proved to be the fault or intended attack from the North. In fact fragments uncovered from the sub proved to be or W German origin and the when the sub was surfaced it did not resemble a ship that was torpedoed. A more likely scenario was either an errant magnetic mine or sabatage as the area in question at the time was loaded with both US and S Korean military vessels. It would be very hard for a N Korean sub to do what was claimed.
The recent firings between the north and south originated when the South fired fired first into the direction of the North. The recent balking of the South on talks with the North only reaffirms my suspicion that the instigations are originating in the South. The Chinese are playing their cards very close as they cannot afford a military conflict between the N and S with the US surly getting involved. In my opinion if the North was as crazy as the media would have us believe the Chinese would find a way to resolve the issue. So far as I said the Chinese are taking a wait and see approach.

and btw...it was a corvette that was sunk...not a sub.