N. Korea warned Seoul over PSI campaign at Kaesong meeting: source

(ATTN: UPDATES with additional remarks, more information)
By Byun Duk-kun
SEOUL, April 22 (Yonhap) -- North Korea warned South Korea against joining the
U.S.-led anti-proliferation regime when the countries held their first official
dialogue in over a year at a joint industrial park in the communist state this
week, sources said Wednesday.

At the meeting, the North Korean delegation said South Korea's joining of the
Proliferation Security Initiative will lead to "confrontation" between the
divided Koreas, informed sources told Yonhap News Agency, asking not to be
identified.
"The North Korean side made its usual claims against our side at the beginning of
the talks. But they were a repeat of their previous accusations," the source said
of the reason why the Seoul government did not include details of the North's
remarks in its statement at the end of the talks.
Pyongyang has steadily claimed Seoul's joining of the anti-proliferation campaign
will be considered a "declaration of war."
North Korea also renewed its accusation against Seoul's Lee Myung-bak
administration, insisting it has destroyed the spirit of the so-called "By Our
Nation Itself" stance and escalated tension since its inauguration 14 months ago,
the source said.
"They said because of this, the Kaesong industrial park project now faces a
serious crisis," the source said.
According to Seoul's statement, North Korea demanded South Korean firms in
Kaesong start paying land use fees from next year instead of by 2014 as
previously agreed. The communist nation also called for renegotiation of terms of
the joint economic venture, including the wage for North Korean workers at
Kaesong.
Still, the source said the tone of the North's rhetorical accusations against
Seoul appeared to have been much "eased."
Another informed source, however, noted the difference is only in how the message
was delivered.
"It is too early to conclude that the North has eased its stance because North
Korea tends to soften its remarks when put in official documents than when they
are delivered through media or other means," the source said.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)