The Government, Using All Diplomatic Measures to Persuade the U.S.

Tension is intensifying between North Korea and the U.S. as North Korea warned that the Korean peninsula `may be led to the borderline of war` after U.S. president George W. Bush announced that North Korea’s conventional weapons must be stationed at the rear and demanded a ban on exporting weapons of mass destruction (WMD) as preconditions for NK-U.S. dialogue.

In order to ease the tension around the peninsula, the government is to mobilize all its diplomatic capacity to issue a joint communiqué, emphasizing the need for NK-U.S. dialogue at the Korea-U.S. summit conference on the 20th.

The Government’s Counter Measures -

The government plans to persuade the U.S. to publicize an explanation for the Korean citizens during President Bush’s visit which will point out that `NK-U.S. confrontation will not threaten the peace in the Korean peninsula`.

A government authority said, "While urging North Korea to participate in the NK-U.S. dialogue through neighboring nations like Russia and China to prevent the rise of tensions, the government will attempt to stabilize North-South relationship to induce NK-U.S. dialogue."

The government is to deliver its request to resume talks with the U.S. to North Korean leader Kim Jung-Il through the Russian presidential ambassador, who will visit North Korea on the 10th for Kim’s birthday (February 16).

NK-U.S. Confrontation -

President Bush had a conference with Jordan`s King Abdullah at the White House on the 1st and said that he will "go into talks with North Korea, if it pulls back its conventional weaponry from the armistice line and stop exporting WMD."

In response, North Korea’s Central Broadcasting Station insisted, "President Bush’s utterance do not intend to improve the NK-U.S. relationship, but rather expresses a rash attempt to designate us as the second target of the war against terrorism and to suppress us militarily. We have enough capability to fight a war with America."

Korea-U.S. Summit Conference -

Washington Post reported on the 2nd that the U.S. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell explained during a meeting with South Korea’s Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Han Seung-Su, that President Bush’s designation of North Korea, Iran, and Iraq as the `axis of evil` did not change the foundation of North Korean measures, but he also did not withdraw the president’s insistence on North Korea’s threat to the international society.

At the International Security Conference in Munich, Germany, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said in regard to President Bush’s statement, `axis of evil` that "The president identified the problem, but has made no decision yet. It will take a long time to actualize detailed actions following his words."

Meanwhile, Unification minister Jung Se-Hyun appeared on KBS 1TV’s Midnight Debate on the 3rd and said, "It is somewhat illogical to say that North Korea is developing WMD to target against the South’s 46 million people." The Grand National Party and the United Liberal Democrats criticized the statement as a `reckless remark` which disarms citizens’ awareness of national security.

Ki-Heung Han eligius@donga.com