Seoul still confident

SOUTH Korea said yesterday it believed North Korea remained committed to improving relations despite strongly criticising Seoul over ongoing US-South Korean military drills and insisting it will not return to inter-Korean talks unless grievances are resolved.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry spokesman Baek Tae-hyun said Seoul expected Pyongyang to faithfully abide by agreements reached in a leaders’ summit last month.

The Korean leaders issued a vague vow on the “complete denuclearisation” of the peninsula and pledged peace.