South Korea’s new government will honor all inter-Korean agreements signed by past governments, unification minister Kwon Young-se said Monday, while accusing North Korea of violating these agreements in pursuit of nuclear weapons.

In a speech marking the 50th anniversary of the first-ever joint statement by North and South Korea on July 4, 1972, Kwon also urged the DPRK not to separate denuclearization from inter-Korean relations.

“North Korea should change its old and conventional attitude of separating inter-Korean and nuclear negotiations,” he said. “It’s time that the South and the North discuss the denuclearization issue directly.”

Kwon also blamed North Korea’s