Hanoi: North Korea's top diplomat will likely be on a damage control mission this week at an Asian security meeting, pleading innocent to the sinking of a South Korean warship that killed 46 sailors and has been widely blamed on Pyongyang.
The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations issued a statement following a foreign ministers' meeting on Tuesday condemning the sinking of the South Korean navy ship Cheonan, without pointing fingers. The North has denied any involvement.
North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun, making his third trip abroad in as many years, arrived in Hanoi yesterday.
But experts were not expecting him to meet with either South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan or US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Facing punishment
South Korea and the US remain adamant that North Korea apologise for the March 26 sinking — or face punishment — and the allies announced they would hold four days of joint military exercises starting Sunday to make a strong statement of unity to North Korea. The drills are bound to draw objections from North Korea and China.
Clinton also announced yesterday that Washington will impose new sanctions aimed at stifling the North's nuclear activities, and targeting illicit moneymaking schemes used to fund them.
Seoul yesterday ruled out any chance of a bilateral meeting with the North.
"Reconciliation is possible only when the North shows an apologetic attitude over its provocation," a Foreign Ministry official said in Seoul, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Earlier this month, the UN Security Council approved a statement that condemned the sinking — but stopped short of directly assigning blame.
The North has called the statement its "great diplomatic victory" and has warned any punishment would trigger war.
Major ones in Force
UN Security Council Resolution 1874
June 2009 resolution allows inspection of all cargo to and from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK, along with vessels containing suspicious cargo. The resolution also bans provision of fuel or supplies, or services for North Korean vessels suspected to be carrying banned items.
UN Security Council Resolution 1718
October 2006 resolution imposes arms and financial sanctions on North Korea in response to its first nuclear test.
UN Security Council Resolution 1695
July 2006 resolution, also after the launch of Taepodong-2, bans trading of material, technology and financial resources that could be used in any programme of weapons of mass destruction in the North.
