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

(ATTN: RECASTS lead; UPDATES with additional comments on N. Korean regime, its
leadership, background)
By Lee Chi-dong and Tony Chang
SEOUL, Feb. 20 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stressed on
Friday that North Korea's recent missile threats would harm the six-nation
disarmament talks and reiterated concerns about a looming leadership transition
in the communist state.
"We are calling on the government of North Korea to refrain from being
provocative and unhelpful in the 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 both her and Obama.
With regards to icy inter-Korean relations, the top U.S. diplomat said North
Korea is "not going to get a different relationship with the United States while
insulting and refusing dialogue with the Republic of Korea (South Korea)."
She drew a clear line between the two Koreas in terms of their ideology and
economic capability.
"(South) Korea's achievement of democracy and prosperity stands in stark contrast
to the tyranny and poverty across the border to the North," Clinton said.
Clinton again said she is concerned about leadership change in North Korea, a
sensitive issue she first 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 or rumors of who his successor might be.
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 rocket launch by North Korea, which has claimed it has a right
to pursue space activity, would violate U.N. Resolution 1718.
The resolution was adopted after North Korea's Taepodong-2 long-rage missile
launch in 2006 and prohibits the North from ballistic missile activities.
Satellite photos have shown that the North is preparing for a long-range missile
launch from a base on its east coast. North Korea argued that it is part of the
country's "space development."
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)