DPRK snubs ROK, says no to talks offer

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) has agreed to dismantle its Yongbyon nuclear facility by October in exchange for international aid but rejected the proposal of the Republic of Korea (ROK) to resume their stalled reconciliation talks.

The DPRK yesterday said the ROK president's offer is a "deceitful" tactic to avoid taking responsibility for the deterioration in bilateral ties.

The DPRK's main state newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, said in a commentary that Lee Myung-bak's proposal was not even worth considering. In a speech on Friday, Lee had offered to resume government-level talks with Pyongyang, which were suspended after his conservative government took office in February.