North Korea told to calm down nuke tensions - a week before I move to S. Korea

I quote, from a story I've just spotted at the top of the wire here in my office at the New York City media institution where I've worked for the last eight or so years. I am three days away from leaving the job and just a little more than a week away from hauling out of New York altogether, before taking up residence for two years, maybe longer, in South Korea. Oh, yes, it's certain to be an adventure.

SKorea-Japan-NKorea-Afghanistan-diplomacy Japan, SKorea urge NKorea to stop raising tension SEOUL, Feb 11, 2009 (AFP) - Japan and South Korea urged North KoreaWednesday to stop raising regional tensions and said they would workto revive stalled nuclear disarmament talks with the communist state. Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone and his counterpart YuMyung-Hwan discussed a series of recent threats from the North,including a declaration that it is scrapping all peace accords withSeoul. "Both ministers share the view that tension created by a series ofNorth Korea’s recent strongly-worded comments is not helpful, andurged North Korea to act in a way to contribute to stability in theregion," according to a South Korean statement after the ministers’ meeting. The North has stepped up its attacks on Seoul’s conservativegovernment, fuelling fears of naval clashes along their disputedYellow Sea border. Pyongyang’s military has said it is adopting "an all-outconfrontational posture to shatter" the Seoul government. Last week US and South Korean officials said the North appeared tobe preparing to test-launch its longest-range missile. Pyongyang also has hostile relations with Tokyo, which is pressingthe North to account fully for the Japanese it kidnapped during theCold War era. Japan and South Korea are members of a six-nation forum trying tonegotiate the North’s nuclear disarmament. The talks, which also involve the United States, China, Russia andthe North, are stalled by a dispute over how to verify Pyongayng’satomic activities. "Both ministers agreed to continue to make efforts at six-partytalks aimed at denuclearising North Korea as soon as possible," thestatement said. Yu promised support for Japan’s efforts to resolve the abductionsissue. The ministers met as the new US administration formulates itspolicy on North Korea. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton makes herinaugural East Asian trip next week. The ministers are "likely to have frank discussions on what to tellthe Obama administration over North Korea as a united Japan-SouthKorea front," a Japanese official said Tuesday. Relations between South Korea and former colonial power Japan haveoften been prickly, but their leaders at a summit last monthsidestepped historical and geographical disputes. The ministers said Wednesday they would push ahead with a plannedjoint reconstruction effort in Afghanistan, involving job training,education and an agricultural project. They also pledged to work together at a G20 summit in April torevitalise the world economy and prevent the spread of tradeprotectionism. Cultural exchanges will also be expanded. jkw/sm/jah ANA-02-11-09 0224GMT