The government has criticized North Korea for resuming encrypted message broadcasts to its spies operating in South Korea after a 16-year halt.
 
In a news briefing on Wednesday, Unification Ministry Spokesman Jeong Joon-hee urged Pyongyang to give up its outdated attitude and work to improve inter-Korean relations.
 
The remarks come after the North's Pyongyang Broadcasting Station transmitted five-digit numbers for 15 minutes last Friday, while a female anchor provided what she called page and question numbers for math homework. 

With the North signaling the resumption of its spy operations in South Korea, the spokesman called the move "very regrettable."
 
Pyongyang halted the broadcasting of numeric codes following the first inter-Korean summit in 2000.