Seoul claims close N. Korea policy cooperation with U.S.

By Yoo Cheong-mo

SEOUL, Oct. 14 (Yonhap) -- Seoul and Washington had maintained close bilateral communications channel prior to the U.S. government's announcement last Saturday of its decision to remove North Korea from its terrorism blacklist, a top aide of President Lee Myung-bak said Tuesday, dismissing media speculation over South Korea's dwindling role in the North's nuclear issue.

"The U.S. government's decision to take North Korea off the terrorism list had
been reached on the basis of its bilateral consultation with the South Korean
government," said the presidential aide in a meeting with reporters.
"Washington formally notified Seoul last Friday of its plan to delist North
Korea, following rounds of consultations between their foreign ministers in the
preceding week," said the aide on condition of anonymity.
The presidential aide's remarks came after some news media reported that
Pyongyang has been working to eliminate Seoul from its direct denuclearization
negotiation with Washington.
According to the official, chief U.S. nuclear negotiator Christopher Hill
reported the results of his Oct. 1-3 North Korean visit to President Lee via
South Korea's chief nuclear negotiator Kim Sook on Oct. 4.
"Hill briefed Kim on the U.S.-North Korea consulations on how to verify the North
Korean nuclear program. In a related move, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice twice called Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan on Oct. 7 and 9 to discuss
lifting North Korea from the terrorism list," said the official.
Regarding the Foreign Ministry's welcome statement issued after the announcement
of North Korea's terrorism delisting, he explained, "The South Korean government
doesn't intend to welcome the removal of North Korea from the U.S. terrorism
blacklist. We just welcome North Korea's decision to take the path to
denuclearization."
In a sign of conflict between the Lee government and the ruling Grand National
Party (GNP), meanwhile, GNP chairman Park Hee-tae on Tuesday expressed his
personal objection to the delisting of North Korea.
"Personally, I don't consent to the U.S. decision to take North Korea off the
terror list," Park was quoted by his aides as telling his policy advisors.
"The removal of North Korea from the terrorism blacklist should have been carried
out only after the communist state fully commits to abandoning its entire nuclear
weapons program and opening up to the outside world. But I personally think North
Korea will never give up its nuclear program."
President Lee has demanded that South and North Korea immediately resume dialogue
across the board for discussions on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,
implementation of the existing inter-Korean summit agreements and cross-border
humanitarian and economic cooperation.
The presidential office said earlier this week that Washington's removal of North
Korea from its terrorism blacklist would pave the ground for improving
long-chilled inter-Korean relations.
Following the inauguration of the conservative South Korean president in
February, all channels of inter-Korean dialogue were suspended.