North Korea postpones talks with the South

1
North Korea postpones talks with the South

• North Korean Actions Increase Tensions on
  Peninsula

2
North Korea postpones talks with the South

• The two sides were to begin a new round of talks
  in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang late
  last week
• The discussions dealt with aspects of economic
  cooperation, mainly commercial shipping

3
North Korea has suspended next weeks talks on
economic and maritime cooperation with the South

• North blaming the end of talks on Seouls
  heightened military alert status
• Also because of the Souths contribution of
  military engineers and medics to the U.S. led war
  on Iraq

4
Causes for Souths Heightened Military Alert

• South moved to defense readiness condition 2
  because of fear of possible terrorist incidents
  in relation to the tense situations with the
  North
• Second, because of the possibility of terrorist
  acts in the South in protest to the start of the
  U.S. led war on Iraq

5
Causes for the Heightened Military Alert

• Third, military alert heightened also because of
  the start of the Souths annual large-scale joint
  military exercises with the U.S., called Foal
  Eagle

6
North Korea blames the South for the postponement

• North Korea calls these military exercises
  between the South and the U.S. rehearsals for an
  invasion on the peninsula
• South Korea will have to take full
  responsibility for this (the heightened
  alert)-chairmen of the inter-Korean economic
  cooperation committee for the North

7
North Korea blames the South for the postponement

• Chairmen in the North also said, The U.S.
  international pressure on the DPRK to scrap its
  nuclear program has failedit (U.S.) is now going
  to settle it by military means.

8
Conclusion and Fears

• North Koreas postponement of the talks raises
  concern that it might suspend more important
  inter-Korean talks scheduled next month to ease
  tensions over nuclear issues
• Also the South and the U.S. fear the North is
  using the Foal Eagle and the war with Iraq as
  excuses not to cooperate peacefully and increase
  their nuclear program

9
Sources

• South Koreas Yonhap news agency
• Korean Central News Agency
• BBC News/Asia Pacific
• CNN/Asia
• Korea Herald