*** TOPIC OF THE WEEK (Part 2)

Minister Yu Says S. Korea Will Pursue Flexible, Principled N. Korea Policy

SEOUL (Yonhap) -- Seoul's point man on North Korea, Yu Woo-ik, said on Oct. 21 that the Seoul government will pursue a flexible approach toward North Korea through a principled stance, a reversal from his predecessor's tough policy toward the socialist country for years.

   He also promised efforts to reopen long-stalled dialogue with North Korea, saying that a lot of patience is needed in dealing with North Korea and that it is not an easy task to achieve Seoul's North Korea policy as intended.

   "We need to watch inter-Korean developments with patience and composure in mind," referring to the North's silence in responding to the new minister's new North Korea policies.

   "Bilateral relations require some time before they are improved," he said during a meeting with journalists at the conference hall of the ministry, one month after his inauguration as unification minister.

   Since his appointment as unification minister on Sept. 19, Yu has taken a flexible approach toward the North, although the North has not shown any specific reaction toward the South Korean minister.

   Minister Yu has recently pledged more "flexibility" in its North Korea policy in an effort to calm heightened tensions on the divided peninsula.

   Yu also said that he is more interested in creating an atmosphere for opening a dialogue channel than dialogue itself, saying that it is very important for the government to take a stable and long-standing management approach to inter-Korean relations.

   To provide an atmosphere for a dialogue channel, he emphasized the expansion of the government's flexible measures that include humanitarian assistance to the North's needy and poor.

   He also mentioned Seoul's participation in the joint restoration of the ancient palace in Kaesong, that has been suspended since the Seoul government's May 24 measures taken after the North's torpedoing of the South Korean warship Cheonan last year.

   As to the suspended tour program of North Korea's scenic mountain Kumgang, the minister hinted at the possibility for inter-Korean dialogue for its reopening.

   He also mentioned the resumption of family reunions between the divided Koreas separated for more than 60 years since the 1950-53 Korean War.

   Minister Yu even talked about the possibility of holding high-level military talks and political talks between the divided Koreas, if both sides make efforts and conditions are met.

   Upon his inauguration, Minister Yu vowed to do his best to reopen long-stalled dialogue with the North while holding fast to the Lee Myung-bak administration's tough policies toward the communist regime.

   Relations between the two Koreas have been tense since President Lee took office in early 2008 with a pledge to link aid to the impoverished neighbor to progress in efforts to end its nuclear programs. The already-frayed ties plunged to the lowest level in decades after the North's two deadly attacks on the South last year.

   Hopes are rising since Yu, a former ambassador to China, was recently named to replace hard-line minister Hyun In-taek.

   "The Unification Ministry will consistently cling to the government's policies and principles in dealing with North Korea," Yu said in his inaugural speech. "With a stern but flexible attitude, however, the ministry will try to create an atmosphere for dialogue and untangle knots in relations."

   He then urged Pyongyang to show its sincerity in giving up its nuclear weapons programs and take responsibility for its attacks on the South if it wants to reopen dialogue with Seoul.

   In March last year, North Korea torpedoed the Cheonan, killing 46 sailors. Eight months later, it bombed the border island of Yeonpyeong and killed four people, including two civilians. The North has denied any responsibility for the ship sinking.

   Meanwhile, Yu vowed to make efforts to arrange a temporary reunion for family members separated by the Korean War six decades ago. He said he plans to meet with the South Korea's Red Cross chief to discuss the matter in the coming days.

   The two Koreas held more than a dozen rounds of reunions after a landmark summit in 2000, bringing together tens of thousands of family members whom have not seen each other since the war. Millions of Koreans have been separated from their family members since the war, which ended in a cease-fire, not a peace treaty.

   There are no direct means of contact between ordinary people of the two Koreas that remain divided by a heavily fortified border.

   Meanwhile, the two Koreas will hold a working-level meeting later this week to discuss resuming the joint excavation of an ancient royal palace in the North, sources here with an inter-Korean association of historians said on Oct. 24.

   The group began the project to uncover the remains of Manwoldae, the royal palace of the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) in the North Korean border town of Kaesong, in May 2007. But South Korea suspended the excavation three years later in May 2010 as part of its punitive steps against Pyongyang for the sinking of a South Korean naval ship.

   Another source here with the group said Pyongyang has proposed that the meeting be held on Oct. 28.

   In September, Seoul allowed a group of Buddhists to visit Pyongyang to attend a Buddhist ceremony, which marked the first approval of a religious visit here since the punitive steps were put in place.

   South Korean orchestral conductor Chung Myung-whun returned the same month from a trip to North Korea, saying the two Koreas agreed to stage joint performances.

   Still, there are some hurdles in improving inter-Korean relations at an early date. South Korea is withholding food and other aid to the cash-strapped and flood-hit North.

   It says its assistance will be limited to humanitarian purposes until its demands are met, which is what it regards as a "principled approach" to settling inter-Korean disputes.

   While ignoring the demands, North Korea has been calling for massive South Korean aid.

   Asked about the possibility of an inter-Korean summit, Minister Yu said President Lee Myung-bak is in no rush to make it happen as he understands it. "Lee is not desperate to hold a summit with the North Korean leader. At the same time, however, he would not rule out the possibility of holding such talks, either," the minister said.

   Yu was optimistic about the prospects for inter-Korean relations. He said he believes the atmosphere for dialogue is ripe, given what has happened between the two sides over the past months.

   The positive signals that he mentioned include South Korea's allowing of artists and religious leaders to visit the North, inter-Korean dialogue in Bali on the sidelines of the ASEAN talks and North Korea's direct talks with the United States in July.

   The North held another round of talks with the United States in Geneva from Oct. 23-25.

   In a related development, a group of 10 business representatives asked the government to approve new investments in their factories in an industrial complex in North Korea, the Unification Ministry said on Oct. 20.

   They also pressed the government to address issues on free communication, the passage of people and customs clearance for more than 120 South Korean firms operating at the economic enclave in the North's border city of Kaesong, the ministry said.

   The business leaders, who represent the South Korean firms in Kaesong, made the appeal in a meeting with Unification Minister Yu.

   Yu stressed Seoul's commitment to developing the complex, according to his ministry. The request came a week after Seoul said it would allow local companies to resume stalled construction of facilities in the zone in a sign of flexibility toward Pyongyang.

  (END)