South Korea signals willingness for talks with North Korea, says Pyongyang will 'eventually respond'

South Korea has expressed its willingness to engage in dialogue with North Korea and believes Pyongyang will eventually respond to Seoul's efforts to improve relations, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told Yonhap News Agency in an interview published Friday.

Cho said Seoul's willingness to engage had been conveyed to North Korea through Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who recently visited Pyongyang.

“At this point, there are no visible signs of North Korea returning to dialogue,” Cho said. “But we have fully conveyed our willingness to engage in dialogue … and I believe North Korea will eventually respond.”

Inter-Korean relations remain strained as Pyongyang continues to describe relations with Seoul under a “two hostile states” framework.

Cho acknowledged that diplomatic engagement remains stalled, but said the possibility of renewed US-North Korea talks “always remains open,” depending on Washington’s approach.

On Thursday, following his visit to North Korea, Singapore's top diplomat said Pyongyang currently appears unwilling to engage with either the United States or South Korea and is instead focused on strengthening self-reliance and military deterrence.

Balakrishnan also described a significant shift in North Korea's position toward South Korea, saying Pyongyang now categorically rejects the possibility of reunification.