South Korea seeks to calm North Korea following threat

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
South Korea sought to reassure North Korea that it did not want confrontation Friday after the communist nation threatened to sever all ties, throwing into doubt a joint industrial park and tourism exchanges. North Korea warned Thursday it might cut any remaining relations between the neighbors, accusing the South of seeking a policy of "reckless confrontation." The warning was seen as an attempt to pressure Seoul's new conservative government to change its hard-line stance on Pyongyang. "We don't in any way want confrontation with North Korea," said Kim Ho-nyeon, spokesman for Seoul's Unification Ministry in charge of relations with Pyongyang. "Our position remains unchanged that we want to resolve all problems through dialogue between the South and the North." The warning raised concern that the North may ditch two key civilian projects between the sides - a tour program and an industrial park project - which have continued despite a freeze in government-level ties.