▲ This photo, taken April 11, 2023, shows Unification Minister Kwon Young-se speaking to reporters in Seoul about the government's statement on North Korea's refusal to answer daily phone calls with South Korea and its unauthorized use of the Kaesong Industrial Complex. (Yonhap)
▲ This file photo, provided by the unification ministry, shows a South Korean liaison officer talking to his North Korean counterpart at the Seoul bureau of their joint liaison office on Oct. 4, 2021. After a two-month suspension, the two Koreas restored cross-border communication lines that Pyongyang suspended in protest of an annual combined military exercise of South Korea and the United States. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) Koreas-hotline

(LEAD) S. Korea voices 'strong' regret over N. Korea's refusal to answer daily calls

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details throughout; CHANGES photo)

By Kim Soo-yeon and Yi Wonju

SEOUL, April 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's unification minister voiced "strong" regret Tuesday over North Korea's refusal to answer daily calls via an inter-Korean liaison line and a military hotline, calling it a "unilateral and irresponsible" move.

Minister Kwon Young-se's message came as the North did not respond to regular phone calls through such inter-Korean communication channels for the fifth straight day without specifying any reasons.

"The government expresses strong regret over the North's unilateral and irresponsible attitude. We strongly warn that this will only lead the North to isolate itself and face more difficult situations," Kwon said in a statement.

The North's unresponsiveness raised speculation that the secretive regime may have intentionally cut off the liaison channel to protest joint military drills between South Korea and the United States or the release by the South of a report on the North's human rights violations.

The government issued a rare statement on the North in the name of the unification minister for the first time in about 10 years amid heightened tensions sparked by the North's weapons tests.

Presiding over a key party meeting, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for more "practical and offensive" use of war deterrence, according to Pyongyang's state media.

"North Korea's move to raise tensions is not good for the Korean Peninsula as well as the North itself. We hope the North Korean leader Kim will make a wise decision," Kwon said.

The minister also "strongly" condemned the North's repeated unauthorized use of South Korean assets left behind at the Kaesong Industrial Complex in the North.

The North's state media have carried photos and aired video footage featuring what appears to be South Korean commuter buses operating in Pyongyang and Kaesong. The buses are presumed to be used to transport North Korean workers before the industrial complex was closed down in 2016.

Kwon said the North should be held accountable for its "unlawful" activity, as it has violated related inter-Korean agreements on the operation of the factory zone.

"The government will take all available measures, including legal actions, to make the North take responsibility for its unlawful activity, and closely cooperate with the international community," he said.

Kwon acknowledged "considerable limitations" in taking legal steps against the North but said the unification ministry is closely reviewing possible measures.

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