Japan and South Korea vowed on Sunday, to "never tolerate" a nuclear-armed North Korea even as a defiant Pyongyang stepped up its sabre-rattling saying it would strengthen its "nuclear deterrence" against the US.
"During the talks, we confirmed that we will never tolerate a nuclear-armed North Korea," visiting South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak said after talks with Japanese Prime MinisterTaro Aso in Tokyo. Lee and Aso agreed to press Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear programme and urged China, North Korea's closest ally, to play a greater role in persuading it to disarm. In a joint press conference after their talks, Lee said that he agreed with Aso on "the need to show (North Korea) that there is nothing it can gain from its nuclear tests and missile launches through implementation of the UN Security Council resolution by UN members," Kyodo news agency reported.
Lee was referring to the UNSC resolution 1874 which imposed further sanctions on North Korea for its May 25 nuclear test and missile tests. Aso said: "We agreed to strengthen cooperation between Japan, South Korea and the United States, and agreed on the need to deepen cooperation with China." To implement the new resolution, which includes cargo inspection of North Korean-related vessels suspected of carrying nuclear or missile-related items, the two leaders agreed to exchange information and cooperation, he said.
Japan and South Korea also agreed to "continue considering" the idea of holding so-called five-party talks without North Korea to seek progress in the stalled six-party
Defending its nuclear programmes, Pyongyang's ruling communist party newspaper Rodong Sinmun said the nation's move could be justified by the "US introduction of nuclear weaponsinto South Korea." "We will strengthen our nuclear deterrence further for our self-defence to cope with outright US nuclear threats and nuclear war attempts," the paper said. Washington and Seoul have repeatedly denied that there are US nuclear weapons on South Korean soil. Ever since North Korea conduced its second nuclear test on May 25 and test-fired a series of missiles, tensions in East Asia region has been mounting.
Following Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests, the UNSC slapped tougher sanctions on the country, further isolating the reclusive nation. As part of efforts to curb the North's weapons programmes, a US destroyer is following a suspicious North Korean cargo ship last reported heading for Myanmar.
