South Korea seeks UN help in talks with North

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has asked the UN chief to help improve strained relations with North Korea.

Mr Lee’s spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said today that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he will make efforts to contribute to improve the inter-Korean relations.

The spokesman said Mr Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister, made the comments in a telephone conversation with Mr Lee.

The comments came amid no signs of easing the political tensions on the divided Korean Peninsula since Mr Lee took office early last year with a pledge to get tough with Pyongyang.

North Korea suspended reconciliation talks and some of the landmark joint projects with South Korea, plunging their relations to lowest level in a decade.