South Korea said it was prepared to squeeze North Korea economically over the nuclear crisis, while Japan also indicated it was shifting to a harder line against the Stalinist state. Top South Korean officials said that North Korea risked losing the benefits from economic cooperation with Seoul if it escalated the seven-month-old standoff over its nuclear weapons drive. At the same time the Japanese government's top spokesman said Tokyo may suspend remittances to North Korea worth hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
| The NKors will prob'ly take that as a declaration of war and launch a sea of fire or something... |
Until now, South Korea and Japan have insisted that a peaceful, diplomatic solution be found to the nuclear crisis and both countries have expressed deep reservations about the imposition of economic sanctions. South Korea has viewed its engagement policy of economic exchanges with North Korea as separate from the nuclear crisis and the government of President Roh Moo-Hyun has sought to step up inter-Korean cooperation.
| "I mean, what's a sea of fire got to do with us?" |
But officials outlined a tougher stand in testimony before the National Assembly as a delegation from Seoul headed to Pyongyang for four days of economic talks. Prime Minister Goh Kun said that henceforth inter-Korean exchanges would depend on North Korea's conduct in the standoff with the United States over its nuclear weapons drive. "North Korea's nuclear problem, if it worsens, will affect inter-Korean exchanges," he said.
| Huh? Consequences stemming from actions? When did that start? |
South Korea will abide by a joint statement signed by President Roh Moo-Hyun and US President George W Bush in Washington last week in which inter-Korean exchanges were linked to the nuclear crisis and which referred to the need for "further steps" if the crisis deepened. In Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said at least one other nation must agree that a Japanese decision to suspend remittances would be in the interests of international peace before the government would undertake the move.
President Roh said, however, that humanitarian aid to the impoverished North would continue unaffected by the crisis.
| Is it going to continue while North Korea's overrunning your borders, too? |
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