Inter-Korean talks scuttled over S. Korean impeachment

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, March 16, 2004

Inter-Korean talks scuttled over S. Korean impeachment

Inter-Korean economic talks scheduled for Monday have been scuttled by the DPRK concerns about political instability in the South after last week's presidential impeachment.

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Inter-Korean economic talks scheduled for Monday have been scuttled by the DPRK concerns about political instability in the South after last week's presidential impeachment.

Both sides had agreed to hold the talks in the Southern city of Paju. But the DPRK on Sunday urged they be moved to the Northern city of Kaesong because of the ``very unstable'' political situation in the South.

South Korea's Unification Ministry, which handles relations with the North, said Monday the talks were called off and indefinitely postponed.

``We expressed regret because our situation is very stable and we don't want to change location,'' ministry spokeswoman Yang Jung-hwa said.

South Korea's two main opposition parties voted Friday to impeach President Roh Moo-hyun on charges of illegal campaigning and incompetence, the first such move in South Korean history.

While there have been nightly protests in downtown Seoul, there has been no major unrest.

The regular economic talks are an outgrowth of a groundbreaking 2000 summit between the DPRK leader Kim Jong Il and Roh's predessor, President Kim Dae-jung.

the DPRK expressed concern in an official radio broadcast Sunday, saying: ``We cannot but reconsider the venue of the third working-level economic talks, planned to be held in Paju, with your government and local and foreign media all saying that the situation is very unstable due to unprecedented confusion created by the opposition parties.''

Source: agencies

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