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American Morning
North Korea Remains Defiant in Face of U.S. Criticism
Aired January 01, 2003 - 09:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And we turn to more international news on this new year's morning. North Korea is sending a defiant new year's message to build an army-based powerful nation to confront the United States. It's also threatening once again to go back on its nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
Rebecca MacKinnon is standing by this morning. She is in Seoul, stock -- Rebecca, hello.
REBECCA MACKINNON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.
Well, as the first day of the new year comes to a close here in Seoul, the deputy foreign minister of South Korea has gone to Beijing in the first step in a flurry of diplomacy that's going to be happening over the next days and weeks, trying to ratchet down tensions here on the Korean Peninsula.
The deputy foreign minister is going to be meeting with China's vice foreign minister. The goal of the South Koreans here is to try and convince China to bring more pressure to bear on North Korea to scale down the nuclear brinkmanship that it's been undertaking over the past several months.
Now, China is North Korea's closest ally. It's its closest trading partner. It has the most strings to pull, the most cards to play. South Korea is hoping that China will become more active now that the crisis is continuing to escalate.
Now, the new president elect here in South Korea, Roh Moo-hyun, who's taking office in February, gave a new year's message today, saying that he and his team are going to be working overtime as well to try and find a diplomatic solution to this current crisis -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Rebecca, can you explain to us why China would be reluctant to put that pressure on North Korea?
MACKINNON: Well, the Chinese often say that while they are an ally of North Korea, the North Koreans don't always listen to them and they do often downplay the extent to which they are really able to influence North Korea. However, they do have a lot of trade links and so forth. There is more they can do.
China has a very complicated relationship with North Korea ideologically. China was fighting on the North Korean side in the Korean War. So it's very reluctant to have to choose sides. It also has relations now with South Korea. It's trying to play both sides, trying to keep good relations on both ends and is therefore really generally remaining quiet in this situation so far, Daryn.
So it's going to be very interesting to see if they actually do come out and take a more active role.
KAGAN: All right, we will be watching it and have you track it from Seoul, South Korea.
Rebecca, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 1, 2003 - 09:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And we turn to more international news on this new year's morning. North Korea is sending a defiant new year's message to build an army-based powerful nation to confront the United States. It's also threatening once again to go back on its nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
Rebecca MacKinnon is standing by this morning. She is in Seoul, stock -- Rebecca, hello.
REBECCA MACKINNON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.
Well, as the first day of the new year comes to a close here in Seoul, the deputy foreign minister of South Korea has gone to Beijing in the first step in a flurry of diplomacy that's going to be happening over the next days and weeks, trying to ratchet down tensions here on the Korean Peninsula.
The deputy foreign minister is going to be meeting with China's vice foreign minister. The goal of the South Koreans here is to try and convince China to bring more pressure to bear on North Korea to scale down the nuclear brinkmanship that it's been undertaking over the past several months.
Now, China is North Korea's closest ally. It's its closest trading partner. It has the most strings to pull, the most cards to play. South Korea is hoping that China will become more active now that the crisis is continuing to escalate.
Now, the new president elect here in South Korea, Roh Moo-hyun, who's taking office in February, gave a new year's message today, saying that he and his team are going to be working overtime as well to try and find a diplomatic solution to this current crisis -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Rebecca, can you explain to us why China would be reluctant to put that pressure on North Korea?
MACKINNON: Well, the Chinese often say that while they are an ally of North Korea, the North Koreans don't always listen to them and they do often downplay the extent to which they are really able to influence North Korea. However, they do have a lot of trade links and so forth. There is more they can do.
China has a very complicated relationship with North Korea ideologically. China was fighting on the North Korean side in the Korean War. So it's very reluctant to have to choose sides. It also has relations now with South Korea. It's trying to play both sides, trying to keep good relations on both ends and is therefore really generally remaining quiet in this situation so far, Daryn.
So it's going to be very interesting to see if they actually do come out and take a more active role.
KAGAN: All right, we will be watching it and have you track it from Seoul, South Korea.
Rebecca, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
