Early Edition 18:00
On our newscast tonight.
Still no answer to Seoul′s offer for inter-Korean talks, and more stern words from Pyongyang.
The regime warns Seoul not to distort or criticize its own efforts to improve inter-Korean ties.
The left-wing populist Syriza party is triumphant in Greece′s elections,... meaning the country′s on a possible collision course with the EU.
Japan still has a chance to save the remaining hostage being held by the Islamic State: freelance journalist Kenji Goto.
These and more coming up on Early Edition at Six.
Hello and welcome to the program.
It′s 6 p.m. on a Monday here in Korea
and I′m Lee Ji-yoon.
And I′m Daniel Choy.
Good to have you with us.
Title: S. Korea rules out N. Korea′s preconditons for talks
A month has gone by since South Korea′s surprise proposal for talks with the North.
Pyongyang has since laid out its list of preconditions to starting those talks,... which Seoul is not willing to consider.
Our Unification Ministry correspondent Hwang Sung-hee has this story for tonight.
South Korea says it has no plans to consider North Korea′s demands for returning to dialogue.
Unification Ministry Spokesperson Lim Byeong-cheol said Monday the preconditions laid out by Pyongyang are issues that could be discussed at the negotiating table.
"For fundamental improvements in inter-Korean relations, the South Korean government believes it is not appropriate to accept North Korea′s unjustified preconditions before any talks are held."
One of the key preconditions laid out by the North is cancelling the upcoming joint military drills between South Korea and the United States.
The state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper on Monday reiterated that inter-Korean relations will meet a dead end if the exercises take place as planned.
The paper claimed that the trust between the two Koreas will only be restored after the joint drills are called off.
Seoul and Washington say the annual exercises are defensive in nature, but Pyongyang calls it a rehearsal for invasion.
Amid the inter-Korean tug-of-war, chief nuclear envoys from South Korea, the U.S. and Japan will meet in Tokyo on Wednesday to discuss issues related to North Korea.
South Korea will hold a separate vice-ministers′ meeting with the U.S. in Seoul on Thursday.
Amid fears of a possible loss of momentum between the two Koreas, the unification ministry says its month-old offer for dialogue still stands and that it′s waiting for North Korea′s response.
Hwang Sung-hee, Arirang News.
Title: N. Korea not likely to find itself back on the terror list
After the United States blamed North Korea for hacking Sony Pictures,.... diplomatic sources in Washington had said,... the U.S. might be putting Pyongyang back on its list of state sponsors of terrorism.
But a new report says, the chances of that are slim.
Our Connie Kim tells us why.
North Korea is not likely to find itself relisted as a state sponsor of terrorism, after a new report
