North, South Korea talks end in bitter collapse

PUSAN, South Korea, July 13: Talks between the two Koreas collapsed in acrimony today with North Korea saying its neighbour would ''pay a price'' for the failure and the South withholding any more aid to the impoverished North.

''The South side will pay a price before the nation for causing the collapse of the ministerial talks and bringing a collapse of North-South relations that is unforeseeable now,'' the North Korean delegation to the meeting said in a statement.

The abrupt end to the cabinet-level talks was the latest failure to resolve a mounting crisis over North Korea's missile launches last week. North Korea's comments were among the bitterest since Seoul embarked on an engagement policy with Pyongyang six years ago in an effort to end the Cold War's last major confrontation.

The break with South Korea, a key source of aid to the secretive, communist state, comes amid reports that Pyongyang has rebuffed attempts by its main benefactor, China, to ease tensions following the multiple launches on July 5.

During the talks in the South Korean port city of Pusan, which ended a day earlier than scheduled, the South urged North Korea to explain why it had launched the barrage of missiles -- including its long-range Taepodong 2 -- despite international warnings.

But Pyongyang largely ignored the issue, focusing instead on economic cooperation and requests for aid.

It was the first high-level meeting between the two neighbours, technically at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce instead of a peace agreement, since North Korea's missile tests.

South Korea said after the talks collapsed that it would withhold any more food aid to the North.

Commenting at what point his government would consider resuming aid, a senior South Korean official said: ''I think it is the (North's) return to six party talks.'' The international community has been urging North Korea to return to those talks, aimed at ending its nuclear weapons programme. It pulled out last November in fury over a U S crackdown on alleged illicit activities by Pyongyang such as drug-running and counterfeiting.

The South Korean government, which has come under growing criticism at home for being too soft on the North over the missile crisis, made a policy U-turn in linking its aid to the North's return to the six-party talks.

Seoul has previously said its aid was humanitarian in nature and not tied to efforts to end the North's nuclear weapons programme and to improve its human rights record.

The failure of the North-South talks comes as the top U S envoy on North Korea, Christopher Hill, said in Beijing that China's attempts to defuse the crisis had made no progress.

He said the Chinese were as baffled as the United States by North Korea's response to efforts to ease security concerns.

REUTERS