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By stressing the word “corresponding” twice, Song hinted that the other participants will maximize rewards to North Korea as the Stalinist country eliminates its nuclear program. South Korea, the U.S. and Japan have reportedly agreed to launch discussion on the peace framework for the peninsula envisaged by the joint statement as soon as possible. The new chief diplomat indicated that working groups within the six-party format can be formed any time if North Korea agrees to dismantle its nuclear weapons, saying everything was “a question of timing.”

Foreign Minister Song Min-soon speaks at his first official media briefing in the job on Wednesday.

But Song reaffirmed that North Korean accounts that lie frozen in the Macau-based Banco Delta Asia are a separate issue from the six-party talks and the implementation of the statement of principles. North Korea is trying to tie unfreezing of the accounts to upholding its part of the 2005 agreement.

(englishnews@chosun.com )