Clinton says N. Korea's missile threats "provocative, unhelpful"

(ATTN: UPDATES with Clinton's comments on N.K. leadership, S. Korean minister's
comments)
By Lee Chi-dong and Tony Chang
SEOUL, Feb. 20 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stressed
Friday that North Korea's missile threats would harm the six-way disarmament
talks and urged the communist nation to return to the negotiating table.

"We are calling on the government of North Korea to refrain from being
provocative and unhelpful in a war of words that it has been engaged in because
that is not very fruitful," Clinton said in a press conference here after talks
with her South Korean counterpart, Yu Myung-hwan.
She also announced President Barack Obama's appointment of Stephen Bosworth, a
former U.S. ambassador to Seoul, as the top U.S. official handling the North
Korean issue.
"We need a capable and experienced diplomat to stem our risks from North Korea's
nuclear ambitions," she said, adding Bosworth will serve as senior emissary in
dealing with North Korea and directly report to her and Obama.
The secretary said that North Korea is "not going to get a different relationship
with U.S." if it shuns dialogue with S. Korea.
Clinton reiterated worries about a possible North Korean leadership transition, a
sensitive issue she raised while en route to Seoul.
"For me, as we look at planning and contingency planning, we are taking
everything into account," she said.
"When you are thinking about the future dealings with a government that doesn't
have a clear succession -- they don't have a vice president, they don't have a
prime minister... that is something you have to think about."
"But we are dealing with the government that exists right now. That government is
being asked to reengage with the six-party talks to fulfill the obligations they
agreed to. We expect them to do so," she added.
The North's leader Kim Jong-il suffered a stroke last summer, according to South
Korean intelligence officials, raising speculation about his health and the
post-Kim era.
The secretary, however, said her comments are not based on specific intelligence
on Kim's health and rumors of his successor.
Standing next to Clinton, South Korea's top diplomat echoed similar concerns
about the future of the isolated nation.
"The situation in North Korea is a major issue of mutual concern between South
Korea and the U.S. and we are closely cooperating to keep a close watch on it,"
Yu said.
He added that any launch of a rocket by North Korea, which claims the right to
pursue space activity, would violate U.N. Resolution 1718, adopted in 2006, which
prohibits the North from ballistic missile activities.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)