The two Koreas yesterday extended their first direct talks in 10 months for an additional day as South Korea tried to convince the communist North to return to the nuclear bargaining table.
The North was clearly resisting any commitment. Vice Unification Minister Rhee Bong-jo, head of the South's delegation, told reporters that Pyongyang's delegation was listening to his entreaties without comment. South Korea's Yonhap news agency, quoting an unidentified Seoul official, said the North did not want any mention of the nuclear issue in a joint final statement.
Concern over North Korea's nuclear program intensified last week when Pyongyang said it had taken a step that could lead to harvesting weapons-grade plutonium. US officials warned of unspecified action if the North conducts a nuclear test, with Japan saying it would respond by seeking UN sanctions. North Korea has indicated it would view sanctions as a declaration of war.
"As the North Korean nuclear issue is at a crucial phase, the resumption of six-party talks is very important for peace on the Korean Peninsula," South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon told a news conference yesterday, referring to negotiations involving the US, China, Japan, Russia and the two Koreas.
Talks between the two Koreas were to have ended Tuesday. But the delegations remained at the North Korean border village of Kaesong overnight, then met briefly yesterday morning before announcing they would hold more talks today.
The reclusive, impoverished North -- which often uses brinksmanship to wring aid from the West -- had sought food and 453,592 tonnes of fertilizer, but South Korea linked that to Pyongyang rejoining talks on its worrisome nuclear weapons program.
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