The prospect for the resumption of high-level inter-Korean dialogue further dimmed Wednesday as Pyongyang demanded a change in Seoul’s stance on anti-North Korea propaganda leaflets as a condition for holding the talks.

The North’s powerful National Defense Commission said that the resumption of the talks hinged on the South’s “responsible” decision on whether to continuously allow its civic groups to float balloons carrying the leaflets that condemn the North’s dictatorial regime.

Rejecting the North’s calls for blocking the groups from flying the balloons, Seoul’s Unification Ministry reiterated that Seoul had no authority to regulate civilian activities due to its democratic system.

“The North claimed in a message that our side turned a blind eye to the leaflets on the pretext that there was no legal ground or regulations, and that our side was not at all interested in improving bilateral ties and forging the mood for the talks,” the ministry said in a statement.

The NDC sent the message to the South’s presidential office of National Security through the western military communications channel early in the morning. The previous day, Seoul sent a fax to Pyongyang, urging it to clarify its stance by Wednesday on whether it was willing to hold the talks.

Seoul’s rejection of Pyongyang’s demand means the two sides are unlikely to hold the talks on Oct. 30, the date which Seoul proposed some two weeks ago. 

The two agreed to hold the second round of high-level talks between late October and early November during the visit by the North’s high-level delegation on Oct. 4. The talks have been stalled since February due to strained cross-border relations.

“We believe, for now, that it would be difficult for the two sides to hold high-level talks on Oct. 30. But we believe that the agreement to hold the talks by early November remains valid,” said Lim Byeong-cheol during a regular press briefing.

He added that at the moment, Seoul was not considering making any additional proposals to the North for the resumption of the talks.

“As we have expressed our stance in our commentary, we are not considering taking additional measures. For the talks to resume, the North should present its clear position first,” Lim said.

Earlier in the day, the Unification Ministry said in a commentary that Seoul had doubts over whether Pyongyang had genuine intentions of improving bilateral relations as it has insisted on the same demand despite Seoul’s repeated rejections.

The issue of the anti-Pyongyang leaflets has been a highly sensitive one for the communist state. The leaflets are designed to awaken isolated North Koreans to the brutality of the dynastic ruling family.

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)