S. Korean, Japanese defense heads raise concern over N. Korean moves

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, April 23 (Yonhap) -- The defense ministers of South Korea and Japan
expressed concern Thursday on a recent series of North Korean moves raising
regional tension, calling it a "serious threat to world peace."
The meeting between South Korean Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee and his Japanese
counterpart, Yasukazu Hamada, in Tokyo came after North Korea's April 5 rocket
launch, which neighbors believe was a test of long-range ballistic missile
technology.
Pyongyang claims it successfully put a scientific satellite into orbit with the
launch, while South Korea, Japan and the United States say no new object entered
orbit.
"The ministers of South Korea and Japan shared the view that North Korea's recent
acts, including the rocket launch, seriously threaten the security on the Korean
Peninsula, regional stability and world peace," the defense ministry in Seoul
said in a statement.
On Wednesday, North Korea accused South Korea of making a military provocation
along their heavily guarded border by moving a marker further north. South Korea
denies the allegation.
Following a U.N. Security Council condemnation of the rocket launch, North Korea
threatened to jettison six-nation aid-for-denuclearization talks that also
include the U.S., South Korea, Japan, China and Russia.
The North has also expelled U.N. and U.S. monitors from its main nuclear complex
north of Pyongyang, threatening to bring the nearly disabled facilities there
back into operation.
The meeting between Lee and Hamada -- the first of its kind since February 2007
-- came as Russia's top diplomat, Sergei Lavrov, is in Pyongyang in the latest
regional effort to stop North Korea from further raising tension and bring it
back to the six-nation talks.
No breakthroughs have been achieved, Russian media reported, while U.S. Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton said in Washington that her country is ready to resume
the six-party negotiations.
"We have to be strong, patient and consistent and not give in to the kind of
back-and-forth and the unpredictable behavior of the North Korean regime," she
added.
Lee, who also signed a symbolic agreement aimed at paving the groundwork for
further security cooperation between his country and Japan, will return to South
Korea on Saturday after a three-day trip.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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