N.Korea Complains About Cross-Border Forestry Talks

South and North Korean officials on Monday agreed to cooperate in fighting tree diseases and modernizing 10 tree nurseries in the North. But North Korea expressed discontent at the results of the talks.

Kim Song-jun, a senior forestry official who led the North Korean delegation, said, "I have become confident that we must remain as firm as pine trees against external and adverse forces in order to achieve the results we want."

Expressing what he said was his personal views, Kim said, "If talks continue in this manner, we can't expect much from forestry cooperation talks the South proposes."  

But Park Chong-ho, the deputy minister of the Korea Forest Service and head of the South Korean delegation, said, "We will strive to cooperate while upholding mutual respect."

Kim's reference to "adverse forces" suggests that the two sides disagreed about sending equipment and other materials to North Korea that could violate international sanctions.