Seoul, Japan seek sanctions, dialogue toward N. Korea

Wi Sung-lac, the nation`s chief nuclear negotiator, and his Japanese counterpart Saiki Akitaka discussed a combination of sanctions and dialogue for coping with North Korea during their meeting yesterday.

"We agreed that we need to restart talks with (North Korea), while at the same time pursuing a complete implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1874," one high-ranking Foreign Ministry official said referring to the discussions.

Gathering the five nations of the six-party talks was among the dialogue options they discussed, the official said.

"Japan seemed to be positive," he said.



South Korea and Japan, along with the United States, are leading a hawkish campaign toward North Korea in the aftermath of its second nuclear test on May 25.

The parties maintain that avenues of dialogue remain open as an option for the North, despite a tough international resolution in place.

The meeting between Wi and Akitaka comes as the United States is hinting at independent financial sanctions to punish companies doing business with North Korea.

The United Nations Security Council has established its own set of penalties, based on Resolution 1874 passed last month to denounce the North`s nuclear activities.

On its own, Seoul had been pushing for talks between five of the parties involved in the six-nation denuclearization process.

Despite meetings between Wi and his American, Chinese and Russian counterparts, the government has yet to see any results.

Wi is scheduled to meet with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei on July 13.

Seoul began to avidly push for a five-way meeting after President Lee Myung-bak proposed such discussions to his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama. The proposal came after Pyongyang in April boycotted future six-nation discussions.

But amid pressure and increased criticism that a five-party discussion might cause the North to further rebel, the South recently appeared to be backing down. Reticence from Seoul`s nuclear dialogue partners may also have been a factor, observers said.

Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said last week: "From the start, we said the talks were not a replacement of the six-party talks."

North Korean Foreign Minister Park Ui-choon will reportedly participate in the ASEAN Regional Forum later this month, but diplomatic sources were skeptical about his meeting with other partners in the disarmament talks.

(jemmie@heraldm.com)



By Kim Ji-hyun