Seoul to renew aid offer to Pyongyang

SEOUL/HANOI: The Republic of Korea (ROK) plans to renew its offer to give aid to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) if the country gives up its nuclear ambitions, the president's office said on Friday, a day after the DPRK freed an ROK worker detained for months.

The DPRK move, which came a week after Pyongyang released two US journalists following a visit by former US president Bill Clinton, could help improve relations between the two countries that were further strained by the DPRK's recent nuclear and missile tests.

Bilateral ties began deteriorating when pro-US, conservative President Lee Myung-bak took office early last year with a tougher stance on the DPRK. Pyongyang responded by cutting most ties or curtailing key joint projects except for a joint industrial complex in a border town.