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South Korea Criticizes U.S. Pressure on Pyongyang
South Korea today accused the United States of issuing an “improper” statement about official discussions earlier this week regarding North Korea’s alleged financial crimes, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Jan. 24). A U.S. statement released yesterday said that a visiting Treasury Department delegation had urged Seoul to take measures against North Korea’s alleged financial crimes and to join U.S.-led efforts aimed at curbing illicit WMD-related shipments on the high seas. The U.S. delegation “has neither officially nor unofficially urged our government to take specific steps,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Choo Kyu-ho said in response to the statement today. South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun warned of potential friction between Seoul and Washington. “The South Korean government does not agree with some forces in the United States that raise issues about North Korea’s regime, put pressure on it and apparently desire to see its collapse,” Roh said. “If the U.S. government tries to resolve problems through this kind of method, there will be friction, differences of opinion, between South Korea and the United States,” he said. “It is too early for me to comment on the alleged illegal activities by North Korea,” Roh added. “We need to ascertain the full truth regarding whether the North has committed any illicit activity, whether it is related to the North Korean nuclear dispute and whether there are any intentions to press the North Korean regime” (Agence France-Presse I/Yahoo!News, Jan. 25). Roh also announced today that he would pursue negotiations toward a permanent peace treaty to replace a Korean War armistice, Reuters reported (Reuters/Yahoo!News, Jan. 24). Meanwhile, Pyongyang again called on Washington to eliminate sanctions, AFP reported. “If the U.S. truly wants the resumption of the six-party talks and their progress, it had better opt for lifting its financial sanctions against the D.P.R.K. and co-existing with it,” the official Korean Central News Agency announced today (Agence France-Presse II/Khaleej Times, Jan. 25). Washington, however, continues to back the sanctions, the Associated Press reported. “The U.S. does not regard the action to be in any way related to the six-party (nuclear) talks,” said U.S. Deputy Assistant Treasury Secretary Daniel Glaser. “We have a compelling case to make,” said Glaser, who today briefed Japanese officials on North Korea’s alleged financial misconduct (Associated Press, Jan. 25). Elsewhere, Seoul’s top nuclear negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon, has been appointed Roh’s chief national security adviser, AFP reported. Yun Byung-se, chief policy coordinator at the National Security Council, is expected to replace Song as the country’s point man at six-nation nuclear talks, the Yonhap News Agency reported (Agence France-Presse III, Jan. 25).
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