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CNN Saturday Morning News
North Korea Accuses United States for Countries Tension
Aired January 04, 2003 - 08:08 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.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: OK, want to turn now to the simmering tensions over North Korea's revived nuclear program. Pyongyang's official news agency is describing the dispute as very serious and unpredictable, and today South Korean diplomats are pushing a compromise to try and end the standoff.
CNN's Rebecca MacKinnon joins us now from Seoul with the latest. Hello, Rebecca.
REBECCA MACKINNON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, John.
Well, diplomats here in South Korea and around the region are working overtime trying to come up with some form of compromise or solution, Washington having rejected North Korea's latest call for negotiations and a nonaggression treaty.
And North Korea then responding, saying that the current tensions are entirely the United States' fault, going on to say in the state- run news agency, quote, "The present situation is very serious and unpredictable. North Korea cannot but take very strong countermeasures by itself in defense of the country and the right to existence." North Korea very much on the defensive today as South Korea is trying to put itself in the role of a mediator, particularly between North Korea and Washington.
This is a new role for South Korea. South Korea did not have ties, any kind of dialogue ties going on with North Korea back in 1994 during the last nuclear crisis, hoping to play a much more active role now. The incoming president-elect, Roh Moo-hyun, is hoping that his administration may be able to find some solution to the crisis before he takes office in late February.
Now, the national security council here in South Korea met today. There are diplomats from South Korea heading to Washington over the weekend for a meeting that will begin Monday between South Korea, Japan, and the United States. South Korea is working on some kind of deal proposal which diplomats hope will be presented at some point next week.
Later in the week, after the meeting in Washington, the U.S. assistant secretary of state, James Kelly, will be coming here to confer further with President-Elect Roh Moo-hyun about how to resolve this crisis. Diplomats also fanning out. One went to Beijing earlier this week. We have another South Korean diplomat in Russia, hoping to coordinate strategy toward North Korea.
Back to you, John. VAUSE: OK, CNN's Rebecca MacKinnon reporting for us there from Seoul.
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 4, 2003 - 08:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: OK, want to turn now to the simmering tensions over North Korea's revived nuclear program. Pyongyang's official news agency is describing the dispute as very serious and unpredictable, and today South Korean diplomats are pushing a compromise to try and end the standoff.
CNN's Rebecca MacKinnon joins us now from Seoul with the latest. Hello, Rebecca.
REBECCA MACKINNON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, John.
Well, diplomats here in South Korea and around the region are working overtime trying to come up with some form of compromise or solution, Washington having rejected North Korea's latest call for negotiations and a nonaggression treaty.
And North Korea then responding, saying that the current tensions are entirely the United States' fault, going on to say in the state- run news agency, quote, "The present situation is very serious and unpredictable. North Korea cannot but take very strong countermeasures by itself in defense of the country and the right to existence." North Korea very much on the defensive today as South Korea is trying to put itself in the role of a mediator, particularly between North Korea and Washington.
This is a new role for South Korea. South Korea did not have ties, any kind of dialogue ties going on with North Korea back in 1994 during the last nuclear crisis, hoping to play a much more active role now. The incoming president-elect, Roh Moo-hyun, is hoping that his administration may be able to find some solution to the crisis before he takes office in late February.
Now, the national security council here in South Korea met today. There are diplomats from South Korea heading to Washington over the weekend for a meeting that will begin Monday between South Korea, Japan, and the United States. South Korea is working on some kind of deal proposal which diplomats hope will be presented at some point next week.
Later in the week, after the meeting in Washington, the U.S. assistant secretary of state, James Kelly, will be coming here to confer further with President-Elect Roh Moo-hyun about how to resolve this crisis. Diplomats also fanning out. One went to Beijing earlier this week. We have another South Korean diplomat in Russia, hoping to coordinate strategy toward North Korea.
Back to you, John. VAUSE: OK, CNN's Rebecca MacKinnon reporting for us there from Seoul.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
