South Korea's chief nuclear negotiator Chun Yung-woo speaks to the media in Beijing on Wednesday. Chief negotiators will spend two days seeking to agree on a timetable for the next phase of North Korea's retreat from its nuclear weapons programme now that it has shut its Pyongyang nuclear reactor. /REUTERS Six-Party Talks Fail to Agree Timeframe U.S. Pours Cold Water on N.Korea's Reactor Demand N.Korea Dusts Down Light-Water Reactor Demand Six-Party Ministerial Talks Flagged for September U.S. 'Ready to Start Peace Talks With N.Korea This Year' N.Korea Shuts Down Reactor, but Problems Remain

Briefing reporters about talks between chief negotiators from the six countries in nuclear talks in Beijing Wednesday, Chun Yung-woo said the North “is willing to report and disable all nuclear programs it has if technical issues can be resolved to guarantee safety” and the five other countries -- South Korea, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia -- fulfill their promise to reward it with energy aid.

A government official said North Korea did not directly express its opinion but raised no objections when other countries said it must implement the measures, the second phase under a Feb. 13 agreement, before the end of the year. Chun said the five believe North Korea has to "declare everything they have," including nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung on Wednesday said the government is preparing to propose a peace framework for the Korean Peninsula. “I believe the government may propose it (to North Korea) soon,” he said. Lee made the remarks in a press conference at the Inter-Korean Immigration Office on the newly connected cross-border Donghae railway after a three-day visit to Mt. Kumgang. "Talks on a peace framework for the Korean Peninsula are vital,” he added.

Lee hinted that President Roh Moo-hyun could bring up the issue at the inauguration ceremony of the 13th Advisory Council on Democratic and Peaceful Unification on Thursday. "I expect that President Roh Moo-hyun will make positive remarks on inter-Korean relations and peace on the Korean Peninsula," the minister said. Asked if the peace framework proposal could come before Aug. 15 Liberation Day, Lee said, "It's hard to specify the timing. But it's necessary to discuss at least part of the idea, if not all of it. Officials from Cheong Wa Dae, the Foreign Ministry, the Unification Ministry, and the Defense Ministry are preparing to launch an organization to study and discuss a peace framework." On Tuesday, he said, "We have to find a way to declare an end to the Korean War. We need a new and bold way of thinking."

But experts predict that will not be easy given the difference in views between Seoul and Pyongyang. Kim Sung-han, a professor with the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, said, "North Korea's idea is to discuss a peace framework basically with Washington. From a broad point of view, Pyongyang envisions the withdrawal of the U.S. Forces Korea and the disbandment of UN Command. We on the other hand advocate discussion between the two Koreas, with the option of inviting the U.S. and China to make it a four-party forum. Due to these basic differences, a compromise of views between Seoul and Pyongyang will be difficult.”

Lee also touched on tourism to Mt. Kumgang, a key inter-Korean business project. "We need to provide investors with systematic support such as legal and tax benefits aimed at developing the project in a similar way to the industrial complex” in the border town of Kaesong. A Unification Ministry official said, "At the working level, we are studying ways to draft a law on support for Mt. Kumgang tourism in a similar way to the Kaesong Industrial Complex."

(englishnews@chosun.com )