S. Korea, US Warn NK Not to Raise Tensions


U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, shakes hands with her South Korean counterpart Yu Myung-hwan prior to their talks at the Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry in central Seoul Friday. / Korea Times

Top South Korean and U.S. diplomats Friday urged North Korea to stop provocative acts and resume inter-Korean dialogue immediately, stressing the communist nation's possession of atomic weapons can never be tolerated.

In their one-hour talks in Seoul, Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and his American counterpart Hillary Clinton also agreed to push for the "complete and verifiable" dismantlement of the North's nuclear program through the six-way talks also involving China, Russia, and Japan, according to Yonhap News.

"The ministers shared the perception that North Korea should stop its recent provocative acts and respond to South Korean offers for dialogue without attaching any conditions," the ministry said in a press release on the results of their "useful and in-depth discussions." Clinton arrived in Seoul from Indonesia Thursday night.

Adding to tensions fueled by its reported ballistic missile launch preparations, the North's military said in its latest verbal threats Thursday that an armed clash with the South could break out at any time.

"The two sides have decided to closely cooperate on the related situation," the ministry said. "In addition, Minister Yu and Secretary Clinton shared the opinion that it is desirable for the leaders of the two nations to hold a summit at an early date to develop the alliance and strengthen cooperation on major global issues."

Meanwhile, Clinton met with the top American military commander in South Korea earlier in the day as she kicked off her first visit to the Asian ally as top diplomat, amid rising concerns over North Korean provocation.

Emerging from a motorcade of more than a dozen Cadillacs and Jeeps, Clinton smiled broadly and shook hands with a small group of South Korean and U.S. members at the Combined Forces Command (CFC), including Gen. Walter Sharp.

The visit to the CFC was belatedly inserted into the itinerary of Clinton's four-nation Asian trip, which began in Japan Monday, U.S. officials here said, declining to specify when or why.

About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against North Korea.

Clinton will depart for China Friday evening after meeting with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.




US, China Silent on NK During Clinton's Visit

By Sunny Lee
Korea Times Correspondent

BEIJING ― U.S. Secretary of Hillary Clinton was expected to discuss tensions with North Korea at great length with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi following talks with her South Korean counterpart in Seoul, where she sternly warned Pyongyang to cease provocative acts and refrain from a missile launch.

However, her stay in China, the final leg of her week-long tour to Asia, was highlighted with discussions on clean energy, climate change, the global economic difficulty and bilateral human rights concerns and military ties.

Both the U.S. and Chinese state media underscored her visit to a clean thermal power plant built with U.S. and Chinese technology, which Clinton hailed as ``an example of the kind of job-creating, bilateral, public-private collaboration that we need so much more of.''

Did she discuss North Korea? ``I think they discussed the issue. It's an important topic. But they don't want to talk about it publicly because at this moment they have very little influence over the North,'' said Professor Shi Yinhong of Renmin University in Beijing.

Clinton in Seoul Friday named Stephen Bosworth, an academic and former US ambassador to South Korea, to the new post of Special Representative for North Korea Policy. But she also labeled the North a ``tyranny'' and demanded it stop insulting the leaders in the South if it wanted diplomatic normalization with the new Obama-led U.S. administration.

Departing from the State Department's ``taboo,'' Clinton also mentioned a possible crisis in North Korea surrounding Kim Jong-il's heir designation, which she said may create uncertainty and possibly encourage provocative behavior inside the communist state.

Over the weekend, North Korea kept up its tough rhetoric against the United States and South Korea, accusing the former of preparing for war on the Korean peninsula.

``The situation is quite tense on the Korean peninsula, with North Korea showings signs of moving ahead with launching the missile,'' Shi said. ``At this particular time, China's influence on North Korea is also very limited.''

Clinton's message on North Korea during her Asian tour was tough, reflecting the Obama administration's increasingly formative stance that it wants a complete denuclearization of North Korea before offering any concessions.

U.S. president Barack Obama, during his presidential campaign, repeatedly said that he would be willing to meet with North Korean leader Kim to resolve long-standing nuclear tension on the Korean peninsula ― seen as ``Obama doctrine'' and meant to show that diplomacy and dialogue work in resolving global conflicts.

``However, observers now believe that U.S. dealings with North Korea will be more conditional, depending on how Pyongyang behaves, reflecting the current U.S. administration's view of Pyongyang, namely, not negotiating with it until it changes its attitude,'' said Dong Yong-sueng, head of the Economic Security Team of the Samsung Economic Research Institute in Seoul.

For that matter, Shi doesn't expect any breakthrough on the nuclear issue. ``If North Korea continues to be hostile towards South Korea and the U.S., the Obama administration is not likely to change its attitude. But there's also no indication that North Korea's likely to change its attitude,'' he said.

boston.sunny@yahoo.com

NK Rejects UN Envoy: Source

NEW YORK -- A plan to send a United Nations special envoy to North Korea next month has been called off due to the isolated country's unwillingness to hold dialogue at this time, a source at the global body said Saturday.

A group of U.N. delegates led by Lynn Pascoe, U.N. Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs, had planned to visit Pyongyang in early March but North Korea has rejected the offer, the source told Yonhap News Agency.

The appointment of the high-profile figure as special envoy to North Korea has been viewed as a sign that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is moving to take a greater role in dealing with Pyongyang's reported plans to test-fire a ballistic missile.

Intelligence officials said recently that North Korea is assembling its long-range Taepodong-2 missile, which is supposedly capable of reaching the western United States.

The move has worsened already frayed ties between the two Koreas.

The U.N. official said that he does not know why Pyongyang refused to accept the envoy but added that the missile test-firing might be one of the reasons.

Another source denied that the North rejected the envoy, saying the U.N. and Pyongyang are still having talks to decide the best time to dispatch the delegates.

This source added that the U.N. is reluctant to directly address the North Korean nuclear issue because the six-nation talks -- involving the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia -- are still in progress.

Pascoe will meanwhile manage other pertinent political and diplomatic issues involving Pyongyang, as well as humanitarian aid, he said.

Secretary-General Ban said in January he would send a high ranking official to the North to report on the situation there. (Yonhap)