S. Korea calls on DPRK to halt all nuclear activities

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) should put a stop to all its nuclear activities before returning to long-stalled nuclear disarmament talks, South Korea’s top diplomat said Friday. “Suspension of all nuclear activities by North Korea, including its uranium enrichment program, is one of the prerequisites for the resumption of the six-party talks,” Yonhap news agency quoted Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan as saying. “And then, there should be a process for the International Atomic Energy Agency to verify whether the nuclear activities are halted or not,” Kim said. Following rare, separate talks with Seoul and Washington, Pyongyang authorities should be these possible preconditions for resuming the six-party aid-for-disarmament talks, Kim said. Pyongyang has expressed its wish to return to the six-party negotiations it once declared “dead,” while revealing a new facility to enrich uranium. The talks also involve host China, Japan and Russia.