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CNN Live At Daybreak
North Korea Slamming Washington Again
Aired January 16, 2003 - 05:06 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We want to switch gears now to the nuclear standoff on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea is slamming Washington again. The communist state is vehemently rejecting U.S. offers for talks.
For the latest on this, let's go live to out Tom Mintier in Seoul, South Korea.
And I'd like to quote Korean officials. It says, "The U.S. loud mouth supply of energy and food aid are like a painted cake pie in the sky."
It does not sound promising -- Tom.
TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it doesn't sound very promising, Carol, at all. But despite the rhetoric, diplomacy seems to be moving forward all along the Korean Peninsula, both in North and in South Korea.
Here in Seoul today, the Japanese foreign minister was visiting, visiting with President Elect Roh Moo-hyun. Now, this meeting was supposed to be with the current president, Kim Dae-jung. But that meeting was called off by South Korea after Japan's prime minister visited a religious shrine that paid tribute to Japanese war dead. So the Koreans were upset even before the foreign minister arrived here and canceled that meeting. But they apparently had a lot to talk about, especially about North Korea.
Now, while this meeting was going on, South Korea's defense minister appeared before parliament, saying that the South Korean military was prepared for a worse case scenario, using his words, saying that if, indeed, the United States strikes North Korea militarily, that war was "inevitable" in South Korea.
At about the same time, the U.S. senior diplomat in Asia was leaving Beijing. James Kelly, the assistant secretary of state, has been there for the last couple of days for talks with Chinese officials and he warned reporters on leaving not to expect a quick solution.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES KELLY, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE: The Korean Peninsula needs to be free of nuclear weapons. That's something that China, USA, South Korea, Japan, Russia, really the whole international community, agrees on. And it's going to be a slow process to make sure that we achieve this in the right way. (END VIDEO CLIP)
MINTIER: While the diplomacy is going on on the ground, the rhetoric in the air waves is increasing. Radio Free Asia, financed by the U.S. government, says it's doubling the amount of air time that it is beaming radio broadcasts into North Korea up to four hours a day, both overnight and first thing in the morning.
But the meeting that may be the most important will occur next week here in Seoul, when North and South Korean officials sit down at a table for inter-Korea talks. Now, these talks already South Korea is saying they're going to use as an effort to try to convince North Korea to step back -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Tom Mintier reporting live from Seoul, South Korea this morning.
Also, our State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel will have the inside scoop on the nuclear stand-off. She will join us in the next hour for our Wake Up Call.
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 16, 2003 - 05:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We want to switch gears now to the nuclear standoff on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea is slamming Washington again. The communist state is vehemently rejecting U.S. offers for talks.
For the latest on this, let's go live to out Tom Mintier in Seoul, South Korea.
And I'd like to quote Korean officials. It says, "The U.S. loud mouth supply of energy and food aid are like a painted cake pie in the sky."
It does not sound promising -- Tom.
TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it doesn't sound very promising, Carol, at all. But despite the rhetoric, diplomacy seems to be moving forward all along the Korean Peninsula, both in North and in South Korea.
Here in Seoul today, the Japanese foreign minister was visiting, visiting with President Elect Roh Moo-hyun. Now, this meeting was supposed to be with the current president, Kim Dae-jung. But that meeting was called off by South Korea after Japan's prime minister visited a religious shrine that paid tribute to Japanese war dead. So the Koreans were upset even before the foreign minister arrived here and canceled that meeting. But they apparently had a lot to talk about, especially about North Korea.
Now, while this meeting was going on, South Korea's defense minister appeared before parliament, saying that the South Korean military was prepared for a worse case scenario, using his words, saying that if, indeed, the United States strikes North Korea militarily, that war was "inevitable" in South Korea.
At about the same time, the U.S. senior diplomat in Asia was leaving Beijing. James Kelly, the assistant secretary of state, has been there for the last couple of days for talks with Chinese officials and he warned reporters on leaving not to expect a quick solution.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES KELLY, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE: The Korean Peninsula needs to be free of nuclear weapons. That's something that China, USA, South Korea, Japan, Russia, really the whole international community, agrees on. And it's going to be a slow process to make sure that we achieve this in the right way. (END VIDEO CLIP)
MINTIER: While the diplomacy is going on on the ground, the rhetoric in the air waves is increasing. Radio Free Asia, financed by the U.S. government, says it's doubling the amount of air time that it is beaming radio broadcasts into North Korea up to four hours a day, both overnight and first thing in the morning.
But the meeting that may be the most important will occur next week here in Seoul, when North and South Korean officials sit down at a table for inter-Korea talks. Now, these talks already South Korea is saying they're going to use as an effort to try to convince North Korea to step back -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Tom Mintier reporting live from Seoul, South Korea this morning.
Also, our State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel will have the inside scoop on the nuclear stand-off. She will join us in the next hour for our Wake Up Call.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
