The Republic of Korea's Defence Minister Kim Kwan-jin (3rd R) speaks upon his inspection of a Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) unit at an undisclosed location in the country's western part near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, March 1, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

SEOUL, Republic of Korea - Republic of Korea (ROK) President Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday urged the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to return to talks, but the chances looked slim as he stopped short of dropping his demand for the DPRK to take responsibility for attacks last year.

The call comes as tension has started to rise again on the Korean Peninsula, which had looked close to war late last year, with the DPRK expressing outrage at this week's military exercises by the ROK and the United States and the dropping of leaflets across the border with details of the unrest sweeping through the Middle East.

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"We are prepared for dialogue with North Korea (the DPRK) at any time and with an open mind," Lee said during a speech marking the anniversary of a 1919 anti-Japanese uprising.

He reiterated a previous pledge that the ROK was willing to help its neighbor.

Tension between the two rose to its highest since the 1950-53 Korean War, after the ROK accused the DPRK of sinking one of its naval ships and later bombarding an ROK island.

Pyongyang denies any involvement in the sinking and accuses Seoul of goading it into launching the later artillery attack.

An attempt at reconciliation last month failed after low-level military talks between the two sides collapsed.

The DRPK Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that "physical counter-action" by its armed forces was "inevitable" for what it called "self-defense", in a statement carried by Pyongyang's official news agency.

"The US should be wholly accountable for all the consequences to be entailed by its military provocations. The DPRK is ready for both dialogue and confrontation," it said.

Reuters-AFP