South Korea hopes to take more independent initiatives to improve its fractious relationship with the North, a spokesperson for the country’s Ministry of Unification (MOU) told press on Wednesday.

Speaking at a regular briefing, ministry spokesperson Lee Sang-min was asked to clarify remarks by South Korean President Moon Jae-in in his New Year’s Address on Tuesday, in which he laid out ambitious plans for inter-Korean cooperation in the coming year.

The President, Lee said, was seeking to find a “realistic method” for improving Seoul-Pyongyang relations, while insisting that South Korea would continue to adhere to international sanctions against North