YONHAP NEWS

S. Korea vows continued efforts for dialogue with N. Korea

   By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, May 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's foreign minister said Tuesday that his country will continue efforts to bring North Korea back to the bargaining table via closer cooperation with Pyongyang's other dialogue partners, despite its recent nuclear test.

   Speaking to lawmakers, Yu Myung-hwan also said that the nuclear device tested by the North on Monday was three or four times stronger than those dropped by the U.S. on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

   "Judging from North Korea's current attitude, a difficult situation ahead is to be expected and it seems it will be hard to resume the six-way talks," the minister said. "But we need to leave the door open for dialogue with North Korea."

   Yu returned to Seoul earlier in the day, cutting short his trip to Hanoi, where he attended foreign ministerial level talks as part of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). Shortly after his arrival, he chaired a meeting of security-related ministers during which they decided to announce Seoul's full participation in the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative.

   Yu backed media reports that North Korea tested a far more powerful nuclear device than its first experiment in 2006, a suggestion that progress had been made in the communist state's nuclear technology. The North also reportedly test-fired three short-range missiles hours after the second test.

   Experts agree that the tests are aimed at gaining recognition for the North as a nuclear power.

   Victor Cha, a former director for Asian affairs at the U.S. National Security Council, said the extremely provocative acts may be a signal of the North's future willingness to return to the negotiations.

   "The type of negotiations they are interested in, however, are not six-party talks," said Cha, Georgetown University professor and inaugural holder of the new Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in Washington. The six-way talks also involving South Korea, China, Russia, and Japan have been stalled for months.

   "The six-party talks are 'denuclearization talks' aimed at stripping the North of their defenses, in the eyes of Pyongyang. Instead, they are interested in 'nuclear arms control' negotiations with the U.S. where two established nuclear states negotiate mutual arms reductions (but never fully give up their weapons). This is an unacceptable condition upon which to resume six-party talks or bilateral talks," he added.

   South Korean officials dismissed the possibility that North Korea would be recognized as a nuclear power, citing the international community's prompt and determined reaction to its nuclear test.

   "North Korea now faces a swift and immediate response from the international community," a top foreign ministry official who handles the North Korean nuclear issue said in a background briefing for local reporters. He asked not to be identified.

   The U.N. Security Council said the experiment on Monday was a "clear violation" of a 2006 resolution which bans the North from engaging in nuclear and ballistic missile development. The council has begun discussions on the level of punishment to be meted out.

   He said the council is expected to issue a new resolution soon calling for additional sanctions on the North.

   The ministers from 27 nations attending the ASEM forum in Hanoi also adopted a separate statement condemning the North's nuclear test.

   "Bearing in mind the need to maintain peace and stability in the region and the international non-proliferation regime, Ministers condemn the underground nuclear test conducted by the DPRK (North Korea) on May 26 2009, which constitutes a clear violation of the six-party agreements and the relevant UNSC resolutions and decisions," the statement read.

   The official reaffirmed that there is no change in South Korea's efforts for talks with North Korea.

   "We will try to contain North Korea's additional provocation while dealing with the current situation in a calm and resolute way, but at the same time we will continue working to persuade North Korea to rejoin talks and discuss denuclearization," he said. "The problem is whether North Korea has the will."

   lcd@yna.co.kr
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