DPRK denies responsibility for not facilitating inter-Korean talks

PYONGYANG -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Wednesday denied responsibility for not responding to Seoul's call for inter-governmental talks between the two Koreas and urged the Republic of Korea (ROK) to abandon hostility first.

A spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea criticized Seoul for impure intentions to shift responsibility of failure to launch inter-Korean dialogue to Pyongyang, according to a dispatch from the official KCNA news agency.

Seoul has blamed Pyongyang for not responding to its repeated proposal for holding inter-governmental talks.

The spokesman also lashed out at South Korean President Park Geun-hye for her remarks saying the north's sincerity and willingness to take actions matter more in respect of north-south dialogue.

He noted that Pyongyang has made sincere efforts to improve the relations, including proposing senior-level negotiations during the military standoff in August, implementing the agreement reached at the negotiations, and organizing the reunions of the separated families in late October.

He also slammed the ROK government's recent decision to issue revised history textbooks to secondary students, saying the move was aimed to breed hostility at home toward the DPRK.

"Seoul's attitude (toward the DPRK) has never changed a bit before and after the August agreement," he said, urging South Korea to drop antagonistic stances and contribute its share to shaping good atmosphere for dialogue and talks.