South Korean Unification Minister Urges Pyongyang Not to Provoke Biden's Administration

"I have said this repeatedly on several occasions, but there should never be a provocation from North Korea as it runs counter to the agreement signed by the two Koreas and it goes directly against the will of our people and their desire for peace," Lee said at a virtual forum, as quoted by the Yonhap news agency.

The unification minister cited a 2018 agreement signed by leaders in Seoul and Pyongyang to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula and increase cooperation, according to the agency.

Lee also expressed his hope that the first six months of the Biden administration, which is expected to take office following an inauguration ceremony in January, would give impetus to the denuclearisation process on the Korean Peninsula.

"We hope that the next six months or so will be a great opportunity to restart the peace process on the Korean Peninsula and to move toward complete denuclearisation and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula", the unification minister said, as quoted by the agency.

Denuclearisation talks between Pyongyang and Washington stalled in 2019 after US President Donald Trump walked out of a summit in Hanoi, Vietnam. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have also increased after a joint liaison office in the border town of Kaesong was blown up this past June by North Korea.