South Korean president Lee Myung-bak has dropped the requirement that North Korea apologize for the torpedo attack that sank the Cheonan warship this past March, killing 47 sailors. The apology has frequently been cited as mandatory to the resumption of Six Party Talks between the divided Koreas, China, USA, Japan and Russia. North Korea has maintained a hard stance, denying responsibility despite damning evidence from an international panel reviewing the Cheonan wreckage. Many times the North Koreans have walked out on discussions after an apology was demanded, and the DPRK has even offered to help with their own investigation and offering evidence to prove their innocence. Myung-bak declined to comment on whether the apology was still a requirement, but an aide close to the president states that it was “not a precondition to resuming the talks.”
Source: The New York Times
