US nuclear envoy Christopher Hill, left, and South Korean counterpart Chun Yung-woo talk to reporters after dinner meeting in Seoul, 01 Apr 2008
US nuclear envoy Christopher Hill, left, and South Korean counterpart Chun Yung-woo talk to reporters after dinner meeting in Seoul, 01 Apr 2008
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South Korea Calls on North to Tone Down Rhetoric

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
02 April 2008

South Korean officials have issued their first formal response to recent moves by North Korea, labeling some of the North's recent statements "inappropriate." The exchange comes as high-level American and South Korean envoys warn time is running out in diplomacy to end North Korea's nuclear weapons programs. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from the South Korean capital.

South Korean Major-General Kwon Oh-sung has sent a radio message to his North Korean counterpart, reassuring Pyongyang the South remains committed to a key non-aggression agreement between the two sides.

However, the message rebukes the North for what it describes as recent "deliberate slander and fostering of tensions" which the South finds deeply regretful.

The message comes a day after North Korea's main official newspaper lashed out at South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, calling him a "traitor" and accusing him of disrupting North-South relations.

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voanews.com  (Posted 4/3/08)