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North Korea pulls out of missile talks with U.S.
August 27, 1997
Web posted at: 10:29 a.m. EDT (1429 GMT)
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Reacting to the U.S. defection by two of its diplomats, North Korea on Wednesday postponed missile talks with the United States.
The talks, scheduled for the U.S. mission to the United Nations, were aimed at trying to get North Korea to curb its sales of missiles as well as a buildup at home.
The North Korean delegation that had traveled to New York for the talks would be returning home, sources told CNN.
U.S. officials indicated they were not surprised at North Korea's retaliatory action after the diplomats were granted asylum. The officials said they still expect the missile negotiations to resume. It was not immediately clear when the talks might be rescheduled.
This week's canceled talks, scheduled to last through Friday, were to have been the third in a series of meetings. The first round of negotiations, held last year in Berlin were followed by a second session two months ago in New York.
Previous sessions were also postponed by North Korea due to dispute with the U.S. over food aid and other issues.
U.S. officials also said the defections should not affect separate peace talks involving the two Koreas, the United States and China.
On Tuesday, the State Department announced the U.S. had granted asylum to , 48, who served as North Korea's ambassador to Egypt, and his 51-year-old brother Chang Sung Ho, a North Korean trade representative in Paris.
Goal of talks
Despite having a serious food shortage, North Korea maintains a large army, partly financed by the sale of missile parts and completed missiles such as the Scuds used by Iraq during the Gulf War.
U.S. intelligence estimates hundreds of them are in the hands of Iran, Syria and Libya, with Egypt building its own from North Korean parts.
With a 500-kilometer range, the missiles could threaten Israel, Jordan and Persian Gulf oil supplies for Europe, Asia and the United States.
North Korea's missiles also threaten some 37,000 U.S. troops on the Korean peninsula as well as all of South Korea, parts of China and perhaps even Japan.
Also Wednesday:
- The North Korean government announced that it is pulling out of a U.N. accord on human rights because a critical resolution accusing it of violations "totally distorts the reality of our country."
- North Korea urged Washington to turn over the two diplomats, claiming they are criminals fleeing embezzlement charges.
- North Korea will send a high-ranking delegation to Egypt to investigate how much information Ambassador Chang was able to acquire before he defected, Middle East News Agency reported.
- South Korea announced that an elderly North Korean woman and her two adult children had defected to the South through a third country. Citing the North's acute food shortage, about 170 North Koreans have defected to South Korea so far this year, mostly through China.
World Affairs Correspondent Ralph Begleiter and Correspondent Brian Jenkins contributed to this report.
- Newsmaker Profile: Kim Jong-il - North Korean President
- Newsmaker Profile: Kim Young-sam - South Korean President
Related stories:
- North Korean defectors may have missile information - August 26, 1997
- Report: North Korean diplomat defects - August 25, 1997
- North Korea, Japan discuss forming diplomatic ties - August 21, 1997
- Korean peace talks resume after encouraging start - August 6, 1997
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