Decision to Refer North Korean Nuclear Issue to UNSC Not Likely Within Weeks

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on the June 5 that the question of whether to refer the North Korean nuclear problem to the U.N. Security Council will not be concluded in the next few weeks.

Secretary Rice visited Fort Lauderdale, Florida to participate in the Organization of American States’ (OAS) annual meeting. To the question, “Will the United States government send the North Korean nuclear situation to the U.N. Security Council?” Secretary Rice answered, “I think it is too premature to say that we will decide on a solution in the next few weeks.”

Right before Secretary Rice’s response, a senior U.S. Defense Department official participating in the Asian Security Forum in Singapore answered that the United States, regarding referring the North Korean nuclear issue to the U.N. Security Council, plans to decide its next move within the following several weeks.

Soon-TaekKwon maypole@donga.com