"We can hold a summit if necessary... this is a good chance for North Korea," President Lee Myung-Bak said.

South Korean President on Tuesday called on the neighboring North Korea to seize a “good chance” in order to improve relations in upcoming military talks, saying a meeting between his Northern counterpart can to take place.

"We can hold a summit if necessary... this is a good chance for North Korea," President Lee Myung-Bak said in his first direct response to recent peace overtures from Pyongyang.
After weeks of high tensions between the neighbors,  the two sides agreed last month to the military dialogue.

They will hold preparatory talks between colonels on February 8 to set the date, place and agenda for a higher-level military meeting, possibly between defense ministers.
But Seoul said the high-level meeting would only go ahead if Pyongyang took responsibility for two attacks last year and promised no repetition.

On November, the North shelled a Southern Island, killing two marines and two civilians and sparking high tensions on the peninsula.
Lee said he believed a "strong response to provocations” could prevent any repetition and the North may now believe it did not have to take such actions.

"I have great expectations that this may be time for North Korea to change," he said.
"If the North shows willingness for sincere dialogue instead of military provocations, we can hold inter-Korean dialogue, economic exchanges and talk about the six-party talks."

The six-nation negotiations on the North's nuclear disarmament -- grouping the two Koreas, China, the United States, Russia and Japan -- have been stalled for more than two years.
The United States, South Korea and Japan say the North must improve cross-border ties before they can resume.