South Korea open to dialogue with North if it agrees to denuclearise

Pyongyang will have to curtail its nuclear programme if it wants dialogue between North and South Korea to resume, South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday.

South Korea suspended operations at the Kaesong Industrial Complex, which is jointly operated by the two countries, after Pyongyang carried out a nuclear test and launched a long-range rocket earlier this month. The US has drafted stricter sanctions on Pyongyang for flouting the current sanctions. China, which was North Korea's ally, also supports the fresh sanctions, reports Reuters.

"The government will not shut the door on dialogue, but as long as the North doesn't show the will to denuclearise and refuses to change, pressure from us and the international community will continue," Reuters quoted Park as saying.

Her statement came in the wake of South Korean manufacturers (small and medium-sized) at the Kaesong Industrial Complex seeking compensation from the country's government for the losses incurred since the shutting down of the industrial zone, reports VOA News. The losses have been pegged at $644 million by the manufacturers' association, which is in talks with the government regarding compensation. 

Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council is set to vote on the draft made by the United States on stricter sanctions on North Korea.

"The anticipated adoption of new tough sanctions by the Security Council shows there is broad international support to stop the North's nuclear programme," Reuters quoted Park as saying.

In a show of power, North Korea this week warned South and the US that it would carry out pre-emptive attacks on the two countries if their joint military training -- set for March -- proves to be a threat. The isolated country also declared on Feb. 27 that it had technology that could turn special armoured tanks into "boiled pumpkin."