North Korea should stop trying to inflame South Korean discord

North Korea should stop trying to stir social and political discord in South Korea and move to become a responsible member of the international community, Seoul’s unification minister said Thursday. Speaking at a forum organized by the Korea Employers Federation, Ryoo Kihl-jae said it is deplorable that Pyongyang is using its various media outlets and propaganda organs to incite dissonance in the South. For the past few months Pyongyang has been calling on various liberal and progressive groups to unite and oppose the Park Geun-hye administration. It has also engaged in almost daily bashing of the chief executive and her government, despite repeated calls by Seoul to desist from such behavior. “It is a shame that the North has not been able to do away with anachronistic tactics,” the policymaker said. He added that they almost seem to be inciting unrest out of habit and a lack of understanding about the diverse and open nature of South Korean society. “Seoul too has a lot of things it wants to say about the North, but it is exercising restraint because we want to improve inter-Korean relations,” the official said. He then said instead of moving forward on developing nuclear weapons and making threats, which will only further make it an international “orphan,” the North should strive for greater economic cooperation and join the ranks of responsible countries. Ryoo pointed out that the only country that can really help the North economically is South Korea. The minister, meanwhile, expressed reservations about the engagement policies pursued by liberal administrations that paid too much attention to formalities. He said for better results, Seoul is currently seek to build trust, even if it is on a small scale. Trust building is a key policy goal of President Park.