S. Korean president calls on North to stop threats, resume dialogue

By Byun Duk-kun
JAKARTA, March 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak called on North
Korea to immediately halt its threats and open dialogue with Seoul while
Pyongyang upped the tension Thursday by warning it can no longer gaurantee the
safety of South Korean aircraft flying through its airspace.

Pyongyang's provocative behavior "must be stopped," Lee said in an interview with
an Indonesian newspaper published Friday.
The North's threat fueled tension that had already been deepening over the
North's suspected missile activity.
Over a dozen South Korean commercial jets have been flying over the North's
airspace daily since Pyongyang opened its airspace over under an accord signed in
1997.
Aviation authorities in Seoul earlier said over 200 South Korean jets will take
detours in the next two weeks to avoid any unnecessary mishaps.
"North Korea's actions that heighten tension while refusing to talk to us must be
stopped, as they will have negative effects not only on the future of
inter-Korean relations and the Korean Peninsula, but also on world peace," Lee
said in the interview.
The South Korean president arrived here earlier Friday for talks with his
Indonesian counterpart, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. His trip ends Sunday.
Lee's remarks were made in the interview held before the North's latest
saber-rattling, but they still reflect Seoul's stance on the rising tension on
the Korean Peninsula, as Pyongyang is apparently moving to launch what many
believe is a long-range missile. The North says it is preparing to launch a
rocket to put a satellite into orbit.
"We are ready to discuss our mutual interests with North Korea through talks at
any time, and we hope the North Korean side will soon abandon its propaganda
campaign against us, as well as its actions that raise tension, and respond to
our calls for dialogue and cooperation," the president said.
The two Koreas remain divided since the 1950-1953 Korean War, which ended only
with an armistice, keeping them technically still in a state of war.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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