South Korea asks North Korea to dismantle n-programme

South Korean President Park Geun-hye Wednesday urged North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons programme.

"North Korea is still adhering to the nuclear weapons development despite opposition from international communities in unison," Xinhua quoted Park as saying.

Unless North Korea dismantles its nuclear programme, national unification and peace would go farther away from the Korean peninsula, Park said, stressing that North Korea should "put down nuclear weapons from its hands" immediately.

Park's comments came amid easing tensions on the Korean peninsula after the two countries agreed to reopen the jointly operated factory park in the North Korea's border town of Kaesong and hold reunion of families separated by the Korean War (1950-53) in late September.

Park said the family reunion and the Kaesong industrial complex's normalisation can be achieved because foundations have been accumulated for building trust between Seoul and Pyongyang with patience.

The country's chief executive noted that if denuclearisation in North Korea makes a clear progress, higher level of cooperation between the two countries can kick off.