N. Korea warned Seoul over PSI campaign at Kaesong meeting

(ATTN: UPDATES with remarks from officials, more details)
By Byun Duk-kun, Kim Hyun
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, officials in Seoul 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, said the officials, asking not to be identified.
Kim Ho-nyon, a spokesman for Seoul's unification ministry, also confirmed the
issue was brought up at the talks held Tuesday.
"When you look at a message or a keynote speech, there is what can be called an
introduction similar to that of a written document. I believe the North Korean
side did mention the PSI issue in that section (of its notice)," the spokesman
told a press briefing, without giving further details.
The Kaesong meeting came after North Korea proposed talks last week, saying it
has an "important notice" for Seoul regarding the joint industrial project in
Kaesong.
"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," a source said,
explaining why Seoul did not include details of the North's remarks in its
statement at the end of the talks.
Pyongyang has repeatedly warned that Seoul's joining of the anti-proliferation
campaign will be considered a "declaration of war."
Seoul had planned to announce its full membership in the PSI last week, but the
announcement was delayed after the North proposed the dialogue.
An official at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Seoul's decision to
join the anti-proliferation regime remained unchanged, but that the government
was still mulling over when would be the most appropriate time to make the
announcement.
"The PSI has nothing to do with North Korea, therefore the meeting in Kaesong
will not affect our decision," the official said, asking to remain anonymous due
to the sensitivity of the issue.
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 2014 as previously
agreed. The communist nation also called for renegotiation of terms of the joint
economic venture, including wages 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 they are put in official documents as
opposed to when they are delivered through media or other means," the source
said.
bdk@yna.co.kr
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)