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CNN Sunday Morning
North Korea Disables Surveillance Equipment at Nuclear Reactor Site
Aired December 22, 2002 - 09:01 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now to our top story. Word from North Korea, this morning, that they've cut, sealed and disabled surveillance cameras at a nuclear reactor site there. It's believed to have once made weapons grade plutonium. We head to South Korea, one nation that is urging the communist country to its north to restore those U.N. monitoring devices. That's where we find our Seoul bureau chief Sohn Jie-Ae.
SOHN JIE-AE, CNN SEOUL BUREAU CHIEF: Good evening, Miles. The news of that North Korea's actually started cutting its safety seals and its monitoring cameras has really shocked many people here in South Korea tonight. North Korea had threatened to do this, but many people here in South Korea weren't sure whether they North Korea was actually going to live up to its word.
And now that North Korea's actually (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to cut its safety seals, many countries, not only South Korea, but neighboring countries, are also starting to express their concern.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHIM YOON-JO, S. KOREAN FOREIGN MINISTRY (through translator): North Korea's action is extremely regrettable. It has been our consistent position North Korea must freeze its nuclear system. Also, our government strongly demands North Korea immediately restore the surveillance equipment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOHN: Now, right after North Korea made the announcement, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and South Korea's Foreign Minister Che So Hong (ph) had a telephone conversation. According to South Korea's foreign ministry spokesman, Mr. Powell said that there was a great need for increased alliance between the United States and South Korea to overcome this crisis.
The foreign ministry spokesman said that the South Korean foreign minister said that he will seek the cooperation from China and Russia in order to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear program -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Is there any talk in the South of asking the United Nations to engage in an inspection campaign a la Iraq?
SOHN: Well, in South Korea right now, South Korea is in a very delicate position. It's only three days ago where, in South Korea elected a new president. So the current president and the -- and his successor will have to coordinate and seek out a resolution in order to get North Korea to give up its nuclear position.
But the current president and the incumbent president all share the view that the best way to get North Korea to give up nuclear ambitions is to engage it and to have channels of communication open so that North Korea can be persuaded to give up its nuclear program. So we may be seeing a little bit of a more dialogue-based diplomatic solution coming from South Korea, Miles.
O'BRIEN: Sohn Jie-Ae in Seoul, South Korea. Thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Reactor Site>
Aired December 22, 2002 - 09:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now to our top story. Word from North Korea, this morning, that they've cut, sealed and disabled surveillance cameras at a nuclear reactor site there. It's believed to have once made weapons grade plutonium. We head to South Korea, one nation that is urging the communist country to its north to restore those U.N. monitoring devices. That's where we find our Seoul bureau chief Sohn Jie-Ae.
SOHN JIE-AE, CNN SEOUL BUREAU CHIEF: Good evening, Miles. The news of that North Korea's actually started cutting its safety seals and its monitoring cameras has really shocked many people here in South Korea tonight. North Korea had threatened to do this, but many people here in South Korea weren't sure whether they North Korea was actually going to live up to its word.
And now that North Korea's actually (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to cut its safety seals, many countries, not only South Korea, but neighboring countries, are also starting to express their concern.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHIM YOON-JO, S. KOREAN FOREIGN MINISTRY (through translator): North Korea's action is extremely regrettable. It has been our consistent position North Korea must freeze its nuclear system. Also, our government strongly demands North Korea immediately restore the surveillance equipment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOHN: Now, right after North Korea made the announcement, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and South Korea's Foreign Minister Che So Hong (ph) had a telephone conversation. According to South Korea's foreign ministry spokesman, Mr. Powell said that there was a great need for increased alliance between the United States and South Korea to overcome this crisis.
The foreign ministry spokesman said that the South Korean foreign minister said that he will seek the cooperation from China and Russia in order to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear program -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Is there any talk in the South of asking the United Nations to engage in an inspection campaign a la Iraq?
SOHN: Well, in South Korea right now, South Korea is in a very delicate position. It's only three days ago where, in South Korea elected a new president. So the current president and the -- and his successor will have to coordinate and seek out a resolution in order to get North Korea to give up its nuclear position.
But the current president and the incumbent president all share the view that the best way to get North Korea to give up nuclear ambitions is to engage it and to have channels of communication open so that North Korea can be persuaded to give up its nuclear program. So we may be seeing a little bit of a more dialogue-based diplomatic solution coming from South Korea, Miles.
O'BRIEN: Sohn Jie-Ae in Seoul, South Korea. Thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Reactor Site>
