Seoul, Jan 23: With the North Korea nuclear crisis overshadowing an economic agenda, ministers of North and South began a second day of talks on Thursday with no hint as to whether they would discuss Pyongyang's atomic ambitions.
South Korean newspapers, meanwhile, saw Wednesday's statement by the chief North Korean delegate, Kim Ryong-song, that Pyongyang had no plans to build nuclear arms as little more than a ploy to sidestep the issue.
The top US arms control diplomat said North Korea's decision this month to quit the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) curbing the spread of atomic arms could be taken to the UN Security Council as early as this week.
Such a move could further infuriate the isolated communist state, diplomatic sources close to North Korea said in Tokyo, and actual discussion of the issue in the Security Council could prompt North Korea to resume tests of ballistic missiles.
Few observers expect the ninth round of North-South ministerial talks to yield progress on the nuclear issue.
Bureau Report
