North Korean shows of force like missile launches are a “kind of signal” about its openness to talks, South Korea’s unification minister said Wednesday, defending Seoul’s efforts to ease inter-Korean tensions.

Chung Dong-young made the remarks during a plenary session of the National Assembly’s budget committee, in response to a lawmaker’s question about whether Seoul had received any indication from Pyongyang that it was willing to engage in dialogue.

Kang Dae-sik of the conservative People Power Party cited a series of recent North Korean military activities, including missile launches on Oct. 3 and 12, as well as Oct. 29