S. Korea delays PSI announcement until after N. Korea talks

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SEOUL, April 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea said Saturday it decided to postpone
announcing its plan to join a U.S.-led campaign against the trade of weapons of
mass destruction until after proposed talks with North Korea.
Earlier in the day, the Unification Ministry said North Korea has proposed
holding talks with South Korea on Tuesday at a joint industrial park in the
communist state, where a South Korean worker remained detained for a 20th day.
South Korea had been widely expected to announce its participation in the
Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) tomorrow after the North raised tensions
by vowing to quit talks and restart its nuclear arms plant.
"We need to take into considerations factors such as inter-Korean relations in
announcing the PSI participation," Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement.
"But there is no change in our stance (toward joining the PSI), and the issue is
separate from inter-Korean relations."
Originally, Seoul was planning to announce its participation in the PSI on
Wednesday this week after the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a
presidential statement condemning the launch of a long-range rocket by North
Korea on April 5.
It put off the announcement due to controversy surrounding the timing.
Following the U.N. statement, North Korea said Tuesday that it will "never"
return to the six-way talks on its nuclear program and that it would restore
nuclear facilities in Yongbyon that had been partially disabled.
In the first step towards putting those threats into action, the North has
expelled international inspectors from the country, according to the
International Atomic Energy Agency.
sam@yna.co.kr
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