Seoul - South Korea urged North Korea Wednesday to renounce its plan to
test a nuclear bomb, warning the country would face a "strong and united
response" from the international community if it goes ahead.
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun called for a "cool-headed and stern"
response to North Korea's threat of a nuclear test, his office said. But Roh
also called for unspecified measures that would warn North Korea of the
consequences of a nuclear test.
South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said the UN Security
Council is expected to take stronger action against Pyongyang than the sanctions
resolution the council adopted after the North's missile launches in July.
North Korea "will face a strong and united response from the international
community" if it conducts a test, Yu told a regular news briefing. "I expect a
higher level of response will be discussed at the UN Security Council," he
said.
After the North's July 5 missile launches, the UN Security Council adopted
a resolution banning all UN members from missile or missile-related dealings
with the North.
South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon has spoken with his Chinese
counterpart over the issue and plans conversations with diplomats in Japan,
Russia and the US, Yu said.
Earlier in the day, South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Choo Kyu-ho urged
the North to cancel its plan to test a nuclear bomb and immediately return to
six-party talks on its nuclear program without any conditions.
"We express grave concern and regret," said Choo, after the country held an
emergency meeting of security ministers. "If North Korea pushes ahead with a
nuclear test, North Korea should take full responsibility for all consequences."
Asked to elaborate on what the consequences would be, Choo said a North
Korean nuclear test could bring about a "shift" in Seoul's engagement policy
toward the North, but he also stressed that doesn't mean abandoning that policy
altogether.
South
Korea has consistently pursued dialogue with North Korea since their leaders
first met in a historic summit in 2000. That approach has caused a rift with
Washington which favors a harder line toward North Korea.
North Korea said Tuesday that it would conduct a nuclear explosion to prove
the country is a nuclear power. Pyongyang has since last year claimed it has
atomic bombs, but hasn't performed any known test to verify that.
Six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program have been stalled since
November last year as Pyongyang refuses to attend in anger over US efforts to
cut off the North's access to international banking over the country's alleged
financial wrongdoing. The talks involve China, Japan, Koreas, Russia and the
United States.
The North's announcement prompted South Korea to raise its security level and
spurred strong condemnation from countries around the world. US Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice said a North Korean nuclear test would be "a very
provocative act."
The North Korean nuclear crisis flared in late 2002 after Washington accused
the North of running a clandestine atomic bomb program in violation of its
pledge not to do so. Pyongyang denies the claim.
The two Koreas are still technically at war as the
1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. But their relations
warmed significantly after the 2000 summit.
