SEOUL, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- South Korea urged North Korea Tuesday not to lose a chance to end its nuclear crisis and respond to renewed international calls for dialogue.
In a weekend summit, President Roh Moo-hyun and U.S. President George W. Bush agreed to seek a peaceful solution to the two-year nuclear standoff.
"As the summit created a new environment for dialogue, North Korea should make a strategic decision on its nuclear issues," Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said in a Cabinet meeting. "It is a golden chance for North Korea," he said.
North Korea said earlier in the day that it could return to talks only if the United States dropped its "hostile" policy against Pyongyang.
"The Bush administration should give abundant clarity to its willingness to make a switchover in its policy toward the DPRK (North Korea) and coexist with it in peace," said Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's state-run newspaper.
"This would provide groundwork for the two sides to sit at the negotiating table," it said.
