Seoul, Tokyo oppose removing N. Korea sanctions before denuclearization

By Byun Duk-kun
TOKYO, Jan. 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and
Japan's Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada urged North Korea on Saturday to quickly
return to negotiations on ending its nuclear programs, saying any concessions,
including the removal of U.N.-imposed sanctions, will only be made after the
North starts to denuclearize.

The joint call was made at a bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the Forum
for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation here. The South Korean minister arrived
in the Japanese capital on Friday.
"The two ministers agreed to continue their diplomatic efforts to resume the
six-party talks while working with other participants of the six-way
negotiations," an official accompanying the South Korean minister told reporters
at the breakfast meeting.
"They noted the removal of U.N.-imposed sanctions on North Korea can be
considered by the U.N. Security Council, but only when there is progress in the
process of denuclearizing North Korea," the official added.
North Korea's foreign ministry said on Monday that its return to the six-nation
nuclear talks hinges on the removal of U.N. sanctions imposed shortly after its
second nuclear detonation test last year.
Pyongyang said in April last year that it will permanently quit the nuclear
negotiations that also involve South Korea, the United States, Japan, China and
Russia.
Seoul and its close allies, Tokyo and Washington, have expressed opposition to
giving concessions to the communist North until it sincerely commits itself to
full and irreversible denuclearization steps.
"Regarding the future direction of their joint efforts, Minister Yu and Minister
Okada agreed to maintain their two-track approach of continued pressure on North
Korea while trying to resume the nuclear talks at an early date," the official
from South Korea's foreign ministry said.
Yu also expressed opposition to holding any negotiations with North Korea on
formally ending the Korean War by replacing the 1953 Korean armistice with a
peace treaty until Pyongyang makes significant progress in its denuclearization
process.
"Regarding North Korea's recent call for negotiations on signing a peace treaty,
Minister Yu said it was more desirable to pursue such negotiations after the
six-party talks are resumed and the parties gain a driving force in
denuclearization of North Korea," the official said.
The Japanese foreign minister urged efforts to improve bilateral ties between his
country and South Korea, also calling for the early resumption of negotiations
for a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two, according to the official.
Minister Yu noted a Korea-Japan FTA will benefit both countries in the long-run,
but said they first need to address issues that could again jeopardize their
negotiations, adding such issues include the possibility of widening trade
imbalance following the start of free trade between the countries.
Seoul and Tokyo held several rounds of FTA negotiations, but talks have been
suspended since 2004.
Yu and Okada agreed to work closely together to successfully hold an annual
three-way summit of their leaders and their Chinese counterpart in South Korea
this year.
The South Korean minister invited Okada to visit Seoul at an early date to
further discuss such issues. The Japanese foreign minister agreed to do so in the
near future.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)

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