Lee: Better ties with N. Korea possible

SEOUL, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- South Korea has a chance to better its relations with North Korea under the country's new leader, Kim Jong Un, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said Monday.

Lee, in a New Year's address, said, "If North Korea shows a sincere attitude, a new era on the Korean Peninsula can begin," the Yonhap News Agency reported.

"The most important target at this moment is peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. We are leaving a window of opportunity open," Lee said.

The South Korean leader said he hoped 2012 would be a "turning point" in resolving the North's nuclear standoff. He reiterated his position that negotiations to end North Korea's nuclear weapons program could resume only if the North ends all of its nuclear activities, Yonhap said.

Kim Jong Un was recently declared leader of North Korea, succeeding his father, Kim Jong Il, who died of a heart attack Dec. 17.

Lee warned that South Korea would "maintain a watertight defense posture" as long as there is a chance of provocation from its northern neighbor.

On Sunday, the North Korea government issued a New Year's message that urged the country's military and people to become "human rifles and bombs" to defend Kim Jong Un and rally behind him.