Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon speaks to the National Assembly's Unification, Foreign Affairs and Commerce Committee on Monday morning./Yonhap I Say Satellite, You Say Missile Cheering N.Korea All the Way to a Missile Launch N.Korea’s Missile Plans ‘Thwarted by Weather’ N.Korea Unlikely to Have Fueled Missile: NIS N.Korea Hints It May Halt Missile Launch for Talks Bush Demands N.Korea Reveal Its Missile Plans Seoul, Beijing Agree N.Korea Must Halt Missile Launch U.S., N.Korea ‘to Meet One-on-One if N-Talks Resume’

"I think that Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok's recent statement that providing aid to the North will be difficult if it launches a missile is the government's position," the chief diplomat added.

Asked by Uri Party representative Choi Sung if he thought there was a need for direct dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea outside the six-party framework, Ban answered, "Personally I think that it is a good idea, but it is wholly a matter for the United States to arrange."

(englishnews@chosun.com )