S. Korea says DPRK's claims are 'unworthy of response'
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Claims by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) that South Korea "begged" for concessions over inter-Korean summit talks are a one-sided argument unworthy of a response, officials said Wednesday.
The DPRK's powerful National Defense Commission, headed by top leader Kim Jong-il, said earlier in the day that it rejected South Korea's calls for holding three inter-Korean summit talks, made during their secret meeting last month in Beijing.
South Korean officials "begged" for summit meetings while insisting the DPRK apologize for last year's deadly cross-border incidents, the Commission said.
Seoul does not need to respond to Pyongyang's "unilateral" claims that "distort real intentions" of South Korea, the unification ministry, which oversees inter-Korean relations, said in a statement issued only hours after Pyongyang made the claims.
Calling Pyongyang's move "very regrettable," the ministry renewed its call on the DPRK to resume inter-Korean dialogue.
South Korea has demanded the DPRK apologize for the fatal sinking of its warship and shelling of a border island last year, which altogether killed 50 South Koreans. The DPRK has repeatedly denied its involvement in the sinking and claimed its attack on the island was provoked by military drills between Seoul and Washington near a disputed western sea border.
