SEOUL – The South Korean government has not held any unofficial talks with North Korea during the ongoing crisis, an unnamed official told Yonhap news in Seoul, yet has made repeated but vague calls for open dialogue with Pyongyang.

“The ministry is not aware of any under-the-table contact. Now is not the right time for such a move,” the anonymous official said. Sources in the South Korean media are often quoted anonymously.

Park’s administration hinted at the prospect of dialogue with Pyongyang last week, although once again stressed that doing so would be on the condition that the North’s nuclear program remained at the