Roundup: S. Korea vows to open unification era with DPRK

South Korea vowed all-out efforts to open a new unification era with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) from 2015, ministries in charge of inter-Korean and foreign affairs said Monday in annual reports to President Park Geun-hye.

Park said government officials should make efforts to "create conditions" under which the DPRK can respond to Seoul's offer to hold a dialogue in January to discuss all issues of mutual concern.

Park said inter-Korean talks should be resumed rapidly to prepare for future unification with the DPRK, when she received briefings on 2015 policies by four ministries in charge of unification, defense and foreign affairs.

The conditions, which Park mentioned, indicated the scattering of anti-DPRK leaflets by South Korean civic groups, the stop of which Pyongyang has demanded as an implicit condition for inter- Korean talks.

The civic groups flied leaflets criticizing the DPRK regime across the demilitarized zone on balloons. In October, the DPRK shot at the balloons, raising tension on border areas.

Border residents opposed to the leaflet dispersion on rising tensions, and a South Korean court ruling said the government can prevent activists from floating the leaflets if those activities threaten the lives and property of people.

Unification Ministry officials met with Park Sang-hak, who said he plans to scatter copies of "The Interview," a film featuring a fictional plot to assassinate top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, urging him to refrain from such activity, the ministry's spokesman said Friday.

Kim said in his New Year's speech on Jan. 1 that there is no reason not to hold talks with Park, who said on Jan. 12 in response that she is open to a summit with the DPRK leader.

The Unification Ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs said in its report that it pushes to legalize its government responsibility for peaceful unification with the DPRK.

The law, tentatively titled "act to lay foundation for peaceful unification," will be enacted this year to continue efforts to lay foundation for reuniting the divided Korean Peninsula under different administrations.

The country has a law on developing inter-Korean relations, but the new act aims to piece out the law by adding the government's responsibility and a way of preparing for peaceful unification.

The new law would not include details about unification costs, which are expected to incur an annual expense of more than 200 billion U.S. dollars over the next 45 years after the possible unification, according to the National Assembly's Budget Office estimates.

Under the principle of "opening a unification era" in 2015 to mark the 70th anniversary of the peninsula's division, the government plans to cultivate manpower in charge of unification preparations and set up task forces in each government ministries.

Seoul plans to push for various inter-Korean projects this year on culture, sports and arts. As part of the projects, the country aims to initiate a railway project linking Seoul with Pyongyang, which reaches as far as Sinuiju, the tip of the northwest DPRK as well as Rajin in northeast DPRK.

In May 2007, the two sides restored and test-ran railways across the west and east borders, but since then those have actually been shut down. Amid a standoff in talks, the project has difficulties being materialized as the railway should pass through Pyongyang, the DPRK's capital.

The Foreign Ministry said in its report that it will expand cooperation with China and the United States to achieve a goal of denuclearized the Korean Peninsula.

The ministry believes that progress in talks for the denuclearized peninsula would improve inter-Korean relations, which in turn help enhance the denuclearization dialogue further.

Seoul plans to deter the DPRK from conducting the fourth nuclear test, by strengthening strategic cooperation with China and the United States. Pyongyang detonated atomic devices in 2006, 2009 and 2013.

For the deterrence, South Korea plans to make aggressive efforts to resume the long-stalled six-party talks, which involve, China, the United States, Russia and Japan as well as the two Koreas.

It was initiated in Beijing in August 2003 but has been halted since December 2008.

The DPRK offered to temporarily suspend nuclear tests if the United States temporarily halts joint annual military exercises with South Korea this year, but Washington refused to it. Endi