|
The Korean government and ruling Uri Party on Wednesday came out against taking the North Korean nuclear dispute to the U.N. Security Council and slapping economic sanctions on the North, a day after Washington said it was considering the steps. They said such measures would be counterproductive.
"The government and party agreed that in the current situation we could not approve referring the North Korean nuclear issue to the U.N. Security Council and placing economic sanctions on the North." Uri Party policy committee chairman Kim Sung-gon said after a meeting also attended by Unification Minister Chung Dong-young and parliamentary unification, diplomacy and trade committee chairman Lim Chae-jung.
 |
|
Comparison of two satellite pictures indicates that North Korea has shut down its 3 MW nuclear reactor in Yongbyon. The picture on the right, taken on January 7, shows steam rising from the cooling tower, but there is no steam in the other picture, taken on April 7. The photos were made public by the U.S. Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) on Monday.
|
 |
|
"Allied nations including the U.S. must continue to be patient and flexible and cooperate to prevent a worst-case scenario,¡± Kim said. ¡°The government and ruling party agree that though the nuclear issue is still fluid, intra-Korean economic cooperation projects like the Kaesong industrial complex must continue."
The National Assembly vice floor leader Oh Young-sik said, "The U.S. hasn't officially conveyed its position, but because we cannot completely exclude the possibility that the nuclear dispute may be referred to the U.N. Security Council, we ask this to be taken as the basic position of the government and ruling party in preparation for that contingency."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
|
