Seoul, Jan 9 (IANS): North Korea Friday refused to accept a resolution calling for inter-Korean dialogue passed by South Korea's National Assembly, Seoul's unification ministry said Friday.

A ministry official told the press that Seoul attempted to send the resolution through a communication line Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, but North Korea refused to accept it "according to instructions from authority".

South Korea's National Assembly passed the resolution in late December, calling for preparations for unification of the South and North and talks between the two sides.

It was reported that the resolution shows regret on the frosty bilateral relations amid North Korea's repeated military provocations. It also calls for North Korea to carry out active dialogues and negotiation to maintain peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula.

The unification ministry Friday expressed regrets on North Korea's rejection and hoped that Pyongyang could take active actions on dialogue and negotiations in the future, Xinhua news agency reported.

Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae last Thursday also said that Seoul hoped to hold an inter-governmental dialogue with North Korea in the near future and offered to hold high-level talks with Pyongyang in January.

Ryoo made the remarks through a three-sentence statement unveiled after top North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said in his New Year's address that "there is no reason not to hold the highest-level talks (with South Korea)".