South Korea said that they will respond sternly to North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations, while considering to resume the suspended civilian inter-Korean exchanges. 

The United Nations Security Council has discussed this week whether to impose additional sanction against North over their latest series of ballistic missile launches. 

 “The United Nations Security Council’s discussion on a new sanctions resolution is also part of South Korea’s efforts to jointly respond to North Korea’s nuclear and missile issues,” spokesman at the Ministry of Unification, Lee Duck-haeng said. 

“The government has firm principles of strongly responding to the North’s provocations,” he added. 

The tension between the South and North were furthered when around 10 flying objects flew from North across the military demarcation line (MDL) in the eastern region.

According to South Korea’s Ministry of National Defence, they were balloons carrying propaganda leaflets. 

However, President Moon Jae-in emphasised his efforts to seek dual approach to push denuclearisation of the North through dialogue with Pyongyang. 

Seoul has suspended almost all civilian inter-Korean exchanges to North since their fourth nuclear test in January 2016. 

“As it is not desirable for inter-Korean relations to continue to be soured, we plan to flexibly review (the resumption) of civilian inter-Korean exchanges to an extent that the move would not hamper U.N. sanctions,” Lee said. 

The ministry will push to resume the now-suspended joint industrial park and tour program with the progress over North’s nuclear.