South Korea reaffirmed Monday that it will suspend inter-Korean civilian exchanges for a while in response to North Korea's latest nuclear test.

The North Korea-led International Taekwondo Federation said it hopes to visit South Korea in the first half for a taekwondo demonstration, according to the Voice of America.

The Unification Ministry said that if confirmed, the North's move seems to be intended to water down its misbehavior after it conducted its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6.

"The government's basic stance is that inter-Korean civilian exchanges should continue," Jeong Joon-hee, a ministry spokesman, told a regular press briefing. "But the Korean Peninsula faces a very grave situation due to the North's nuclear test, so the government thinks that this is the time for a temporary suspension (of inter-Korean civilian exchanges)."

There are two international bodies of taekwondo -- the Seoul-based World Taekwondo Federation and the ITF.

Currently, as the South Korea-led WTF is the only global body sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee, so the ITF is not able to compete in the Olympics.

Since last year, the ITF has sought to send its taekwondo demonstrators to South Korea and accept a visit by South Korean counterparts to the North, but this move has hit a snag following the North's nuclear provocation. (Yonhap)