South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said Wednesday that North Korea's recent missile tests were the wrong behavior and are feared to obstruct peace on the Korean Peninsula and trigger a regional arms race, according to his top security secretary.
But the president stressed that an excessively sensitive response to the missile launches and creation of unnecessary tension and confrontations would not be helpful in settling the problems, said Song Min-soon, the chief presidential secretary for security policy.
Song said the president made the remarks while presiding over a meeting of security-related ministers at his office, Cheong Wa Dae.
"Short-term countermeasures are important (in resolving the North Korean missile problem). But it is more important (for South Korea) to thoroughly analyze the current circumstances, share common understanding with related countries and devise approaches to fundamental settlements," the president was quoted by Song as telling the ministers.
"North Korea's recent missile launches were the wrong behavior, which could not only harm peace and stability and raise tension on the Korean Peninsula, but also trigger a regional arms race," the president said.
Song said that President Roh and the security-related ministers reconfirmed the government's previous position to resolve the North Korean problem through dialogue, negotiations and diplomatic means.
"In particular, the government decided to launch a fresh round of multilateral efforts to force North Korea to return to the six-way nuclear talks, while pushing for stable management of inter-Korean relations," Song said, briefing reporters on the results of the security-related ministers' meeting.
With regard to a newspaper report alleging that U.S. Treasury Under Secretary Stuart Levey took issue with South Korea's dollar payments to North Korea through two inter-Korean economic projects -- the Kaesong industrial park and the Mount Geumgang tour business -- during his recent trip to Seoul, Song said that Levey and his South Korean counterparts didn't disclose any differences on the projects.
"Seoul officials fully explained the government's position that inter-Korean economic cooperation through the Kaesong and Mount Geumgang projects would not pose any problems even in the context of the U.N. Security Council's resolution against North Korea. And Levey reacted affirmatively to our explanation," he said.
Wrapping up his visit to Seoul Tuesday, Levey said in a statement that he discussed with South Korean officials the Security Council resolution and the requirement for U.N. members not to transfer any financial resources related to North Korea's weapons of mass destruction programs.
Following North Korea's missile launches last week, South Korea and the United States have agreed to seek a "five-party meeting" that excludes North Korea. But North Korea demands that the U.S. lift the sanctions on a Macau bank as a condition to resuming the six-party talks. The bank is suspected of having laundered money for Pyongyang.
Song said the real purpose of the proposed five-way talks is to make the long-stalled six-party talks "substantial."
"The five-party talks, if realized, will not be intended to put pressure on any specific country. Instead they are intended to revive the framework for the six-party talks," he said.
Seoul, July 19 (Yonhap News)
President Roh denounces N.K. missile tests as 'wrong behavior' |
