[ OUR OPINION ]

Angry words leave room
for Korea talks

THE ISSUE North Korea has acknowledged it is developing nuclear weapons but says it is willing to enter into talks with its neighbors and the U.S.

NORTH Korea's public admission that it is developing nuclear weapons is an escalation of the war of words with the United States. It should not dislodge the U.S. insistence on eventual resolution of the standoff through negotiations that include North Korea's neighbors. That should be the message from this week's two-day meeting in Hawaii of officials from the United States, South Korea and Japan.

Pyongyang's agreement to eventually take part in negotiations that include the United States, China, Japan and South Korea is more important than its acknowledgment of a nuclear weapons program that already was known about. Beyond the belligerent words are glimmers of hope for an abandonment of the North's nuclear arsenal and an increase in international aid to those suffering under the regime of Kim Jong-il.

North Korea had insisted on bilateral talks with the United States since admitting last October that it had reactivated its nuclear program, claiming it was strictly for generating electricity, and throwing out United Nations nuclear inspectors. However, it accepted talks that included China in April, after which the three countries agreed the discussions were "a good beginning."

In its statement admitting to nuclear weaponry, North Korea complained that it had "already clarified its stand" that bilateral talks "should be held to be followed by the U.S.-proposed multilateral talks." A call for multi-country talks is expected to be made at the end of the Hawaii meeting, which begins tomorrow, but a preliminary round limited to the Unites States and North Korea may be needed.

As if to remind North Korea that its neighbors are important, Japan detained two North Korean cargo ships yesterday in Japanese ports to conduct safety inspections. Thirty North Korean sailors face trial in Australia, where an inspection led to the seizure of 110 pounds of heroin a month ago. The Bush administration is encouraging allies to conduct such searches, adding to the economic pressure on North Korea.

The Bush administration has announced the withdrawal, over a period of years, of the 14,000-strong 2nd Infantry Division from the southern flank of the demilitarized zone that separates North and South Korea. The plan is to reposition them to posts south of Seoul, where most of the other 24,000 U.S. soldiers in Korea are based, ending the "tripwire" that would ensure U.S. involvement in any war started by the North. The redeployment agreement includes an American plan to invest $11 billion to improve South Korea's defense.