President Park Geun-hye on Monday pledged to improve relations with North Korea through dialogue, despite growing tension between Pyongyang and Washington after the U.S. slapped new bilateral sanctions in retaliation against the North’s purported hack on Sony Pictures.

As ties with Japan remain at their lowest ebb in decades, she called for Tokyo to tackle the issue of its sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II as a vital step toward a thaw and summit with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

“I think the U.S. has made an appropriate response over the hack. North Korea should refrain from provocations and show credible behavior to the international community,” the president said at a news conference at Cheong Wa Dae.

“But the current tension between them would not affect inter-Korean dialogue. We, for our part, are looking to resolve various issues with our own principles if North Korea agrees to a dialogue.”

Her remarks reflect Seoul’s efforts to dilute concerns that the latest bout of sanctions may tip over the budding mood for a cross-border rapprochement since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed his openness toward a summit with the South in his New Year speech.

But the conference lacked any fresh proposal or message toward either Pyongyang or Tokyo, while failing to clearly address key sticking points such as suspended tours to a mountain resort across the border, anti-North Korea leaflets and sex slavery talks.

With regard to a summit with the young ruler, Park ruled out setting any preconditions for talks but called for a “sincere attitude” in particular toward denuclearization.

She also once again urged Pyongyang to accept Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae’s earlier offer of high-level consultations to discuss any topic, including even Seoul’s bans on economic and people-to-people exchanges with the communist neighbor.

“I am willing to meet with anyone if it helps ease the pain of the national division and chart a path to a peaceful unification, including at the summit level,” she said.

“But for the talks to work, there must be an open mind and sincere attitude. Denuclearization is not a prerequisite, but when there is no progress whatsoever we cannot talk about a peaceful unification.”

As for relations with Japan, Park remained lukewarm about a one-on-one meeting with Abe, urging the former occupier to change course and come clean about its wartime atrocities.

The Park administration has been seeking to reset the bilateral relationship marking the 50th anniversary of its normalization this year. But with a resolution of the sex slavery issue being a prerequisite for a reconciliation, it appears to be struggling with limited options while facing soaring criticism over a lack of major foreign policy achievements.

The two countries launched director-general-level talks last April to resolve the issue but made little headway due to stark differences in their positions. Seoul has been demanding an official, sincere apology and compensation for the victims, while Tokyo claims the issue was settled in a 1965 agreement that normalized bilateral relations.

“I really hope that this year will provide a chance for the two countries to make a fresh start toward a new future based on a correct understanding of history,” Park added.

“There is no reason not to hold a summit. … But the summit ought to be one that takes place in a favorable environment, is successful and meaningful, and will bring us forward even if it’s just one single step, for which a shift in Japan’s attitude is essential.”

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)