South Korea Defends Outreach To North Korea

South Korea's Unification Ministry on Wednesday rejected media criticism that it maintains a "submissive" stance toward North Korea after Unification Minister Chung Dong-young publicly expressed regret over a reportedly privately led drone dispatch and Seoul's 2016 shutdown of the Kaesong Industrial Complex. The ministry said it seeks to build inter-Korean trust and peaceful coexistence, and the Lee Jae Myung administration has repeatedly extended dialogue offers to Pyongyang since taking office last June despite no response.