Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho speaks at a conference in Gangnam district, Seoul, May 30. Yonhap

Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho criticized a recent series of provocations by North Korea on Monday, emphasizing that such "inhumane and regressive" acts will only lead to deepening the regime's isolation.

Kim made the remarks during a luncheon with former South Korean foreign ministers, citing North Korea's release of balloons carrying trash into South Korea and its continued jamming of GPS signals.

"The North Korean regime must clearly understand that these inhumane and regressive actions are increasingly isolating it from the international community," Kim said.

After the Seoul government had announced that it would take "unbearable" measures against North Korea, Pyongyang said it would temporarily stop sending trash-carrying balloons across the border into South Korea. However, the North also threatened to resume such operations if anti-Pyongyang leaflets are sent from South Korea.

"At times like these, the Republic of Korea must take the lead in the international community's efforts to deter North Korean provocations, resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, improve the human rights of North Korean residents and ultimately achieve reunification," Kim said.

Attendance at the luncheon included former ministers Song Min-soon and Yun Byung-se, who each served under the previous Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations, respectively. (Yonhap)