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SEOUL - NORTH Korea made a cautious overture to South Korea's incoming conservative president Lee Myung-Bak before his inauguration, a report said on Wednesday.
Dong-A Ilbo newspaper said Pyongyang had suggested a meeting with aides to Mr Lee, who promises to take a firmer line with the North.
It said the North made the suggestion in mid-January via Seoul's spy agency, but dropped the idea after president-elect Lee urged it to clarify the goal of the meeting.
The North's official media lambasted Mr Lee last year in the early stages of his candidacy. But since it became clear that he was likely to win last December's election, it has refrained from comment.
The former businessman took office on Feb 25.
Critics said Seoul's decade-long 'sunshine' engagement policy under liberal presidents gave the North massive aid for too little in return. Mr Lee says he will seek greater reciprocity and link aid more closely to nuclear disarmament.
The newspaper quoted a government source as saying North Korea conveyed its proposal via the National Intelligence Service (NIS) to hold 'a meeting between those in responsible positions from both sides' before Mr Lee's inauguration.
'President Lee said 'The purpose of the meeting is unclear' and urged Pyongyang to specify it. The North failed to respond, suspending the contact.' A NIS spokesman told AFP he did not know of any proposal for a meeting while a presidential spokesman declined to comment.
The source said Mr Lee was cautious in complying with the North's proposal and wanted to know the goal and intent of such a meeting.
'North Korea seemingly attempted to explore president Lee's policy and perspective on North Korea in advance.' Shortly after the proposed meeting was dropped, the North postponed a scheduled inter-Korean economic meeting.
In his inauguration speech, Mr Lee expressed willingness to meet the North's leader Kim Jong-Il if necessary but said inter-Korean relations must become more productive.
Mr Lee promises massive economic aid if the impoverished communist state completely scraps its nuclear weapons.
He says South Korea, along with the international community, can raise North Korea's per capita income from an estimated US$1,000 (S$1,389) to US$3,000 within 10 years.
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