|
Movement reportedly seen at N.Korea site
2006-10-28
South Korean military officials have observed activities at the North's suspected nuclear test site that may be preparations for a second test, news reports said Saturday. Yonhap news agency, citing several unidentified military officials, said Seoul is keeping a close watch on the movements of trucks and soldiers at the Punggye-ri site in the country's remote northeast. "It is clear there are movements at Punggye-ri after the (previous) nuclear test," one military official was quoted as saying. "We are closely monitoring to see if these are preparations for a second nuclear test." Another official confirmed activities at the site, but said another test "is not believed to be imminent," according to Yonhap. It was not immediately clear how the military officials first spotted the activity at the site. However, the United States and South Korea generally share intelligence information from satellite images. Meanwhile, more unidentified South Korean government officials said they are trying to confirm whether a new facility that has been built at the site could be part of preparations for a second nuclear test, the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported Saturday. South Korea's Defense Ministry said it could not confirm the reports, and the U.S. State Department refused to comment. A Pentagon spokesman, Air Force Maj. David Smith, said: "We don't discuss intelligence issues as a matter of policy." This is not the first time that suspicious activity has been reported at the North Korean test site. But South Korean officials have said they have no intelligence suggesting another test is imminent. The reports came a day after the incoming U.N. secretary-general, South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon, met with Chinese leaders to discuss sanctions against the North over its Oct. 9 underground nuclear test. Ban met on Friday with China's President Hu Jintao, State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan and Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing. South Korea's Foreign Ministry said they would discuss sanctions, but details of their talks were not immediately released. Ban is visiting the five permanent U.N. Security Council members following his election as secretary-general this month. He pledged to make resolving the North Korea nuclear issue a key priority on his agenda as head of the international body. The United States has been trying muster greater support for a U.N. Security Council resolution that calls for sanctions in response to the North's nuclear test. Seoul and Beijing have been reluctant to enforce sanctions over the test for fear they might aggravate their unpredictable neighbor and destabilize the region. China and South Korea are the North's main aid providers and trade partners, and their participation is considered crucial for the success of the U.N. resolution, which bans the sale of major arms to the North and calls for the inspection of cargo entering and leaving the country. ____ Associated Press writers Meraiah Foley in Seoul and Audra Ang in Beijing contributed to this report.
China says ties with Japan at "new starting point" (2006-12-03)Japan, China agree to cooperate on Tokyo-Shanghai flights (2006-12-03)Movement reportedly seen at N.Korea site (2006-10-28)Next UN chief in China to discuss NKorea nuclear crisis (2006-10-27)China and US closing ranks over North Korea issue: US (2006-10-25)
| 
