| South Korea and Japan have welcomed North | | | | nuclear talks until the U.S. sanction was lifted. |
| Korea's confirmation that it will return to talks | | | | On Tuesday, after meeting in Beijing with China |
| aimed at ending its nuclear weapons programs. | | | | and the United States, North Korea agreed to end |
| However, both say only progress at the talks can | | | | the boycott and return to the talks. A new round |
| lead to a lessening of sanctions they and others | | | | is expected to convene before the end of the |
| imposed following Pyongyang's nuclear test last | | | | year. |
| month. | | | | A formal announcement of that decision came |
| South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Yu | | | | Wednesday on North Korean television. |
| Myung-hwan warned Wednesday that talk alone | | | | The announcer said North Korea will rejoin the |
| will not change Pyongyang's situation. | | | | talks, on the premise that the financial sanction |
| Yu says United Nations sanctions imposed on | | | | imposed by the United States will be discussed |
| North Korea after its nuclear weapons test last | | | | and settled within the talks' framework. |
| month will only be lessened if talks are productive | | | | Washington has never ruled out discussing any |
| in eliminating Pyongyang's nuclear capabilities. He | | | | topic with Pyongyang, including the financial |
| says simply resuming the talks will not affect the | | | | sanctions, as long as they take place within the |
| U.N. measures. | | | | context of the six-party talks. |
| A Japanese official issued the same message in | | | | Paik Jin-hyun, an international relations scholar at |
| Tokyo Wednesday, saying Tokyo would maintain | | | | Seoul National University, says the North is likely |
| the sanctions it imposed - which include a ban on | | | | to return to the talks emboldened by October's |
| trade and shipping with North Korea - until the | | | | nuclear test. He says Pyongyang will now likely |
| nuclear talks yield progress. | | | | demand to be treated as a nuclear weapons |
| Japan and South Korea, along with Russia, China | | | | state, and say the talks' aim should be for it to |
| and the United States, have tried for three years | | | | reduce, not renounce, its nuclear arsenal. |
| to persuade North Korea to eliminate its nuclear | | | | The outgoing South Korean unification minister, |
| weapons programs in exchange for diplomatic and | | | | Lee Jeong-seok, says that would be unacceptable. |
| economic benefits. | | | | He told South Korea's KBS network Wednesday |
| But North Korea has boycotted those six-way | | | | that the "basic spirit" of the six-party talks should |
| talks for a year, since the United States | | | | be based on the North's dismantling its nuclear |
| blacklisted a bank in Macau. Washington says the | | | | programs. |
| bank was helping North Korea launder money | | | | South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun formally |
| from illicit activities such as drug smuggling and | | | | designated replacements Wednesday for Minister |
| counterfeiting. | | | | Lee and South Korea's Defense Secretary and |
| Experts say the blacklisting reduced the North's | | | | National Intelligence Director. All three resigned |
| access to the international banking system. | | | | following the North's nuclear test. |
| Pyongyang declared it would not return to the | | | | |