SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- The South Korean government on
Sundaydenied a report that Seoul, Washington and Tokyo are planing to
demand Pyongyang completely scrap nuclear program even for peaceful
use.
In a statement, a spokesman for the South Korean Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Trade (MOFAT) made the denial over the Saturday report by the
Japanese Yomiuri Shimbun.
Yomiuri said that the three countries are prepared to unveil a plan
not to allow the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)to have
nuclear development programs both for military and peaceful purposes when
a second round of six-nation nuclear talks is held.
Quoting sources, the Japanese daily also said the provision of energy
aid by the three allies will be limited to thermal generation
stations.
The MOFAT also said in the statement that the suspension of a project
by a US-led consortium to build two light-water reactors in the DPRK does
not mean the end of the project.
In November last year, the US-led Korean Peninsula Energy Development
Organization (KEDO) made a decision to make a one-yearsuspension of the
project from Dec. 1, 2003, due to the standoff of the DPRK nuclear
issue.
The KEDO's Executive Board will make a decision on whether to restart
the project in the future, said the statement. The KEDO iscomposed of the
United States, South Korea, Japan and the EuropeanUnion.
According to an Agreed Framework signed between the United States and
the DPRK in 1994, the DPRK agreed to freeze and eventually dismantle its
nuclear facilities in exchange for the construction of two light-water
nuclear reactors for electricity generation and interim supply of fuel oil
until the completion of the first reactor.
The construction work of the first reactor in the DPRK should be
finished last year, but as of October last year, only 34 percent of the
work had been completed.