Seoul's new foreign minister says six-party talks may be delayed to January

President Roh Moo-hyun formally appointed his chief security secretary Song Min-soon as the foreign minister Friday, Roh's office Cheong Wa Dae said.

Song was awarded a letter of appointment in a ceremony at Cheong Wa Dae along with new vice foreign ministers Cho Jung-pyo and Kim Ho-young, new chief presidential secretary for security policy Baek Jong-chun, and senior presidential secretary for security policy Yun Byung-se, the office said.

Following the ceremony, the new foreign minister told reporters that the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons problem may not pick up again until January.

"North Korea may require more time for its in-depth analysis of the situation following the just-ended working-level contacts in Beijing, and U.S. President George W. Bush's changed attitude, shown at his Hanoi summit (with President Roh Moo-hyun)," Song said in a meeting with reporters.

"The six-party talks should be convened next time with some visible outcome in hand. We need more pre-talks contacts. We'll strive hard to resume the six-party talks in December, but they could be delayed to next month," he said.

In his inaugural speech, Song said the biggest diplomatic challenge facing the country is the nuclear crisis.

"It is a matter to be resolved peacefully and we will play a creative and active role in this," he said.

He stressed that the alliance between South Korea and the U.S. is a pillar of Seoul's external relations. "It will exist like that in the future as well," he said. Song is scheduled to accompany President Roh in the capacity of foreign minister on his 11-day swing through Southeast Asia and Oceania that will begin Sunday.

Song's formal appointment as the foreign minister comes amid strong objections from the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP), which has accused him of displaying bias against the United States and an excessively favorable stance toward North Korea during the parliamentary confirmation hearing in late November.

The GNP also opposed Roh's designation of former Uri Party lawmaker Lee Jae-joung as the unification minister for similar reasons, though parliamentary approval is not mandatory for the president's appointment of a cabinet minister.

According to Cheong Wa Dae sources, the president is planning to give his letter of appointment to unification minister nominee Lee as soon as he returns from an overseas trip on Dec. 13.

Seoul, Dec. 1 (Yonhap News)