Business & Economy

Seoul stresses need for resuming talks following N.Korea nuclear report

Seoul, Aug 31 (EFE).- South Korea on Tuesday stressed the need for resuming talks with North Korea, a day after the United Nations nuclear body said the latter appears to have restarted its nuclear reactor and fuel reprocessing facilities.

On Monday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) described in its report the activities at the Yongbyon Nuclear Research Center, about 100 kilometers north of Pyongyang, as “deeply troubling.”

“The persistent advances of North Korea’s nuclear capabilities are proof of the urgent need to engage in talks with North Korea to resolve this issue,” Park Kyung-mee, the South Korean presidential spokeswoman, said in a press conference.

Park stressed that Seoul and Washington are “closely monitoring North Korea’s nuclear and missile activities,” and are currently seeking to resume dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Park’s remarks come hours after White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the IAEA report “underscores the urgent need for dialogue and diplomacy so we can achieve the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”

This new report, presented to the IAEA board of directors on Friday, comes after the North Korean regime suspended communications with Seoul again this month due to joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States.

Last week Washington once again insisted that it is willing to meet with Pyongyang anywhere at any time to resume denuclearization talks, but that offer has not been met with a response from North Korea.

Talks on disarmament have been stalled since the failed Hanoi summit in February 2019. EFE

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