South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for the resumption of dialogue with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) amid signs of de-escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Moon told a nationally televised press conference that dialogue between South Korea and the DPRK should be resumed although it did not need to be made in a hurry.
More efforts and time would be needed to re-open that dialogue by ending the halt of inter-Korean talks in the past 10 years, Moon said.
For the past decade under conservative South Korean governments, talks between South Korea and the DPRK had almost been suspended over Pyongyang's nuclear tests and ballistic missile developments.
During the press conference to mark 100 days in office, Moon said dialogue could not be aimed at dialogue itself as any launch of dialogue should have conditions, under which that dialogue would bear good fruits.
Moon, who took office on May 10, said the dialogue atmosphere would be created should Pyongyang at least stop further provocations.
The president said he could seriously consider dispatching a special envoy to Pyongyang if it helped improve inter-Korean relations and resolve the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.
Tensions eased on the peninsula after U.S. President Donald Trump said on his Twitter account that top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un made a "wise and well reasoned" decision not to fire missiles towards the U.S. island of Guam.
According to the DPRK's official KCNA news agency, Kim had decided to delay the missile launch to wait and see what the United States would do next.
The war of words between Pyongyang and Washington had escalated tensions on the peninsula. Trump warned the DPRK last week that the country would be met with "fire and fury" if it continues threat to the United States.
In response, the DPRK warned that it could fire four intermediate-range ballistic missiles towards the Pacific island of Guam, leading to Trump's warnings that the U.S. military was "locked and loaded."
