NK Urges US to Stop Hostile Policy

Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun, who heads the South Korean delegation for the eighth inter-Korean ministerial talks, met with his counterpart Kim Young-nam, North Korea`s chief Cabinet counselor and expresses concerns over the renewed nuclear development program.

Jeong noted that a security crisis should not occur on the Korean peninsula, urging North Korea to solve the recently raised nuclear issue as soon as possible in a peaceful way through dialogue. He also emphasized that only then, the inter-Korea relations will get a boost.

In response, Kim said that North Korea is also taking the issue seriously and that if the US is willing to give up the hostile stance toward North Korea, North Korea will clear security concerns through dialogue.

In the meantime, North Korea`s state-owned broadcasting company argued in a program marking the eighth anniversary of the 1994 Geneva agreement that the Basic Framework between North Korea and the US is at the crossroads as the provision of light water reactors, which is the main issue of the framework, have been delayed.

Dong-Ki Sung esprit@donga.com