S. Korea in no hurry over inter-Korean economic projects: minister

By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Sept. 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's foreign minister said Friday that his country will not expand inter-Korean economic cooperation until the North progresses to the next stage of a three-tier denuclearization process.

"The government has a plan to actively pursue economic cooperation with North
Korea when the second phase is completed in a irreversible way," Yu Myung-hwan
said at a breakfast meeting with alumni from Seoul National University.
"The current government puts a higher priority on the nuclear issue than the
previous one did," he added.
The denuclearization process agreed upon last year has showed signs of regressing
recently, as Pyongyang has reportedly moved to resume its nuclear activity,
stalling the second phase and escalating tension.
North Korea has barred U.N. nuclear inspectors from its nuclear reprocessing
facility in Yonbgyon and threatened to re-load nuclear material into the plant.
"It is a difficult situation that the six-way talks (on ending the nuclear
crisis) may be back to square one rather than making progress," Yu said hours
after returning from a trip to the United States, where he met with Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.
He added that the North's latest measure was a serious setback to efforts by
Pyongyang's dialogue partners to wrap up second stage, in which the communist
nation is supposed to disable its Yongbyon nuclear facilities and fully account
for its atomic weapons program. The six-way talks also involve South Korea, the
U.S., China, Russia, and Japan.
In the third stage, the North is required to dismantle its nuclear program,
materials, and weapons.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)