Two Koreas 'at a turning point' says South president
LONDON. January 2. KAZINFORM The Korean peninsula is at a "turning point" and there are opportunities for change, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said in a new year speech; Kazinform refers to BBC.
He said Seoul would "respond strongly" if provoked by North Korea, with whom it remains technically at war.
But he said that the biggest goal was stability, and that aid-for-disarmament talks could resume if Pyongyang halted its nuclear activities.
On Sunday North Korea told citizens to defend leader Kim Jong-un to the death.
Kim Jong-un has succeeded his father, Kim Jong-il, who died on 17 December at the age of 69.
On Friday, the country's powerful National Defence Commission warned the outside world to expect no change from the new leadership.
Tense relations
In a nationally televised address, Lee Myung-bak said that peace was his priority and that a "window of opportunity" had opened for better ties with the North.
"The situation on the Korean peninsula is now entering a new turning point," he said. "But there should be a new opportunity amid changes and uncertainty."
South Korea would, however, "thoroughly maintain national security as long as there is a possibility of provocation by the North", he added.
Kim Jong-il had ruled North Korea since the death of his father, Kim Il-sung, in 1994; Kazinform cites BBC.
To learn more go to www.bbc.co.uk