Clinton Urges Stop NK Bellicosity toward S. Korea

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday expressed support for South Korea’s stance on North Korea and urged Pyongyang to abandon its bellicose tactics and resume dialogue with Seoul.

In her first trip to South Korea, she said the United States and South Korea are on the same page in dealing with the North’s nuclear program. “North Korea is not going to get a different relationship with the United States while insulting and refusing dialogue with the Republic of (South) Korea,” she said after a meeting with her South Korean counterpart, Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan.

Her comments were Washington’s warning to Pyongyang that its tactic to talk only with the United States while sidelining South Korea will not work.

On the North’s alleged preparation to test a long-range missile, Clinton said the North should stop making provocative, unhelpful threats.

In the first bilateral talks between Seoul and Washington’s top diplomats since the inauguration of the Obama administration, both sides agreed to develop their relations to a more future-oriented strategic alliance, cooperate to stabilize and rebuild Afghanistan, and collaborate in dealing with global issues such as climate change.

spear@donga.com