South Korea’s Unification Ministry says the government’s plan to "flexibly review civilian inter-Korean exchanges" remains unchanged, regardless of talks on sanctions against North Korea at the UN Security Council.

Ministry spokesman Lee Duk-haeng said during a briefing on Wednesday that seeking a UNSC resolution to punish Pyongyang for its provocations is part of Seoul’s efforts to resolve the North's nuclear and missile issues.

The spokesman also reiterated that the government still holds the basic principle of sternly dealing with any provocation by the North.

However, he said the government will flexibly review the resumption of cross-border exchanges to the extent that they do not violate international sanctions, because long-strained inter-Korean ties will not help stability on the Korean Peninsula.