President Park Geun-hye shared her vision for unification with North Korea while hosting a dinner for the heads of South Korea’s overseas diplomatic missions on Tuesday evening.

The meeting came after Park made proposals aimed at laying the groundwork for unification during a visit to the former East German city of Dresden last week. It also came amid heightened tensions following North Korea’s artillery firing near the western sea border on Monday.

During the dinner, Park was planned to “share her vision for peaceful unification and trust-based diplomacy and ask the diplomatic mission chiefs to play due roles,” a presidential official said on condition of anonymity, earlier in the day.

Park also called for international support for the Dresden declaration.

North Korea has reacted negatively to the declaration, calling it a “combination of rubbish.”

The diplomats based overseas have gathered in Seoul for an annual conference that opened Monday and is scheduled to close Friday. (Yonhap)