Early Edition 18:00 North Korea rejects talks on family reunions

Title: North Korea rejects talks on family reunions There will be no reunions for families separated by the Korean War over the Lunar New Year holiday that starts in three weeks. North Korea refused to discuss the matter for now,but they did leave the door open for future talks under certain preconditions. Our unification ministry correspondent Hwang Sung-hee reports. North Korea has rejected South Korea's proposal to discuss a resumption of family reunions for those separated during the Korean War. Thursday's response came three days after South Korean President Park Geun-hye expressed hopes of holding the humanitarian event sometime during the Lunar New Year holiday, which falls in the last week of January. In a statement on Thursday, the North said there had been no change in Seoul's war-like posture and said for a successful round of humanitarian exchanges to take place, the right atmosphere must be created. Although not named directly, Pyongyang seems to be referring to the upcoming joint military exercise between Seoul and Washington that takes place annually between February and March. It also said that in order for the two Koreas to discuss the matter of family reunions, they must also address issues raised by the North, most likely the resumption of South Korean tours to the Mount Geumgang resort. The North, however, did not slam the door shut on family reunions altogether. The statement said the two sides could meet for talks when the South is willing to discuss the issues proposed by the North. South Korea's Ministry of Unification expressed regret over North Korea's rejection, saying humanitarian issues should be dealt with separately. It also reiterated that the issue of family reunions will not be linked to any of the issues raised by the North. "The unification ministry called on North Korea to accept Seoul's proposal for talks on resuming family reunions and added that the North should show its sincerity in mending ties with the South through action and not just through words. Hwang Sung-hee, Arirang News." Title: Rodman apologizes for outburst during CNN interview this week Former NBA player Dennis Rodman has apologized for suggesting that Korean-American missionary Kenneth Bae deserved what he got when he was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea. In a statement released through his publicist on Thursday, Rodman said he was sorry to Bae's family, and that he had been drinking and was very stressed when he made the comments during a CNN interview earlier this week. The family of Bae said they were outraged by the NBA Hall of Famer's comments. And they weren't the only ones. In fact, Rodman's behavior since arriving in Pyongyang earlier this week has raised eyebrows across the globe.