U.S. and Japan Nixed South Korea`s Proposal

The United States expressed its understanding and support for South Korea`s leading role in handling the crisis triggered by North Korea`s nuclear weapons program, said President`s Foreign Affairs and National Security Chief Aid Lim Sung-jun yesterday (local time), who has been visiting Washington.

Lim held a series of meetings with Bush administration`s senior officials like Secretary of State Colin Powell, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and White House National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice. Then, in a press conference with Korean correspondents in Washington, Lim made such remarks.

Lim said, "The United States government supports South Korea`s taking up the leading role in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue through the diplomatic channel between North and South Korea. US officials, however, do not consider it appropriate to use the term `arbitration` since it sounds as if South Korea, a party of interest to this matter, sounded like a third party."

He added, "The United States has notified us of its position regarding the North-South economic cooperation, although we did not discuss it this time. The US government does not oppose the cooperation project as long as our government honors the current programs without starting new ones." He continued, "In respect for the opinion of the US government, our government has not launched any new cooperation program ever since North Korea`s admission of its nuclear weapons program."

In the meanwhile, the United States and Japan have turned down a two-staged approach proposed by South Korea to settle the standoff over North Korea`s nuclear weapons programs, reported Kyodo News Wednesday, citing diplomatic sources.

The South Korean proposal calls for dealing with North Korea`s plutonium-based nuclear program before its uranium enrichment program. It was presented at talks held by senior officials from Japan, South Korea and the U.S. in Washington on Monday and Tuesday. While insisting that the uranium enrichment program will take time and that it is uncertain whether it will work, South Korea proposed the U.S. resume fuel oil shipments and give a written security guarantee to North Korea in exchange for abandoning its plutonium-based nuclear program, Kyodo News reported. But the U.S. rejected the proposal, saying both programs pose a threat and that resuming fuel oil shipments and providing a written security guarantee would be tantamount to giving in to North Korea`s dangerous game of nuclear brinkmanship in which it creates crises to get what it wants. Japan agreed with the U.S. position, and facing opposition from its two allies, South Korea withdrew the proposal.

sechepa@donga.com