Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The leaders of Japan and South Korea said North Korea should not be offered aid until it has begun to dismantle its nuclear arms programme. The two leaders spoke in Seoul at the end of a bilateral meeting, before flying to Beijing tomorrow for a summit with Chinese premier Wen Jiabao, who was recently in North Korea to celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two Communist nations.
At a joint news conference after their meeting, Japan's Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak urged the North to return to stalled six-nation nuclear talks, which include the two Koreas, Russia, China, Japan and the United States.
The two leaders “agreed to work closely together on a way to resolve the issue in a single step,” and that international sanctions against North Korea should remain in place until Pyongyang takes “specific action” over its nuclear programme. In their view, any solution must be “fundamental and comprehensive” and “not lead to the negotiation tactics of the past” by North Korea.
In recent weeks, Pyongyang has shown greater openness to dialogue with the South, the United States and the international community.
Early this week, the ‘Dear Leader’ Kim Jong-il met Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and told him that North Korea was “willing to attend multilateral talks, including the six-party talks, depending on the progress in its talks with the United States.”
In exchange, Wen is said to have brought US$ 200 million in aid to North Korea, a decision that has raised concern in Seoul and Tokyo.
