Seoul to weigh N. Korean risk for pipeline project

The Seoul government will weigh all possible risks as it moves to hold trilateral talks on a massive project to lay a gas pipeline from Russia to South Korea through North Korea, a government report said Monday. "The pipeline project is still in its infancy and nothing has been decided yet," said the Ministry of Knowledge Economy in the report submitted to the parliament for the annual audit. "We will examine all possible measures to tackle North Korean risks and reflect them in the process of further discussions (on the project)." Seoul and Moscow have discussed a proposal for the construction of a gas pipeline that would ship Russian natural gas via the communist North. The ambitious project has gained momentum in recent weeks after North Korean leader Kim Jong-il discussed the project with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev during his trip to Russia last month.