Terrorism issue should be dropped for better relations with N. Korea

Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Yang Sung-Chul said, "In order for America and Japan to improve their relations with North Korea, the terrorism problem must first be put aside." On August 14, Kyodo News revealed that Ambassador Yang said, "Just as Japan avoided the territorial problem while normalizing relations with Russia, South Korea is putting aside the terrorism problem in order to improve its relationship with North Korea." Ambassador Yang also said, "Korea recognizes that North Korea`s terrorism problem, including the Aung San explosion incident, is not being solved," however, he pointed out, "It will be possible to solve the issue in a proper manner after making advances in other areas." Also, regarding the Theater Missile Defense (TMD) system plan being pursued by Washington, he said, "Korea is persuading the U.S. and Japan to deal with North Korea not through military confrontation but by opting for cooperative policies."