(LEAD) S. Korea calls on N. Korea to respond to economic aid offer

North Korea 16:32 August 16, 2022

(ATTN: UPDATES with foreign ministry official's remarks in last 3 paras)

SEOUL, Aug. 16 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government hopes North Korea will respond to President Yoon Suk-yeol's offer of an "audacious initiative" to help rebuild its economy in return for denuclearization steps, a unification ministry official said Tuesday.

In his Liberation Day speech the previous day, Yoon unveiled details of the plan to improve the North's economy, such as a large-scale food program, power generation assistance, and modernization of its ports and airports.

"The unification ministry urges and hopes for North Korea to respond to our government's sincere proposal for peace on the Korean Peninsula and the common prosperity of the South and the North," the official told reporters on background when asked about the issue.

The official added the ministry has no plans to request working-level contact with the North on the matter but it is open to considering such a move by reviewing inter-Korean relations and the security situation on the peninsula.

The foreign ministry also said that South Korea has been in consultations with the United States regarding the direction of related plans.

"Throughout the entire process of forming the audacious initiative, our government has closely coordinated with the United States and has also communicated in advance with major countries, such as China and Japan," the ministry's spokesperson Choi Young-sam told reporters.

Washington has expressed support for Seoul's road map initiative during recent bilateral discussions, such as the meeting between their top diplomats on Aug. 5, he added.