hankyoreh

South Korea's top presidential aide said Sunday that it is difficult to determine if any U.N.

sanctions on North Korea would be effective in deterring the North's missile proliferation program.

Song Min-soon, chief secretary to South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun for security policy, said that now is the time to concentrate on a diplomatic settlement of the North Korean missile problem.

However, Song made it clear that the South Korean government would support U.N. sanctions on North Korea, if they are determined effective in preventing the North from pursuing its missile program further.

"It is difficult for us to determine if a U.N. resolution against North Korea will be effective in the prevention of the North's missile proliferation program," Song said in a telephone interview with Yonhap News Agency.

"If U.N. sanctions on North Korea are determined effective, we'll consider supporting them. For the time being, however, we need to have clear ground that these sanctions will work for preventing any missile proliferation," he said, reiterating Seoul's previous position to resolve the North Korean problem through diplomatic means.

Song held a closed-door meeting with visiting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill at a Seoul hotel Sunday morning for discussions on the North Korean missile issue.

Hill, who also met with South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok later, told reporters after the meetings that Washington and Seoul are reacting to the North Korean missile problem in one voice.

Hill stressed that South Korea, Japan and the United States do not have different positions toward North Korea, noting that Seoul has clearly declared its intention to suspend its aid to the North.

Meanwhile, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said on its Web site that the South Korean government's careful and slow response to North Korea's missile launches on Wednesday came after much deliberation by President Roh.

"It is the president's responsibility to make sure the people do not feel uneasy. If similar incidents occur again, he will order a similar kind of cautious reaction," said Cheong Wa Dae.

"It is not desirable to heighten tension on the Korean Peninsula and worsen inter-Korean relations. Such things are not helpful in resolving the North Korean nuclear and missile problems."

The office went on to say that the missile launch was merely a political incident and should not be turned into an emergency in terms of national security.

According to U.N. sources in New York, a U.N. resolution on North Korea that could lead to sanctions against the communist nation for its provocative missile tests will likely be put to a vote at the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) on Monday at the earliest.

The sources said the U.S. and Japan are determined to send the anti-North Korea resolution to the UNSC at 10 a.m. Monday (local time), or 11 p.m. Monday (Seoul time), for voting.

The UNSC draft, if approved by more than nine of the 15 UNSC member states, including all five permanent UNSC members, would condemn the missile tests and invoke Chapter 7 of the U.N. charter, which could clear the way for sanctions or even military action.

Specifically, it would block the transfer of items to the North that could be used in missile and weapons of mass destruction programs.

Each permanent member state has veto powers, which can be used to void any resolution. Ten other UNSC members are elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms, with five replaced each year.

But the outlook for the UNSC resolution is not optimistic, as China and Russia, which both have permanent UNSC seats, are reportedly opposed to any U.N. measures to punish North Korea.

North Korea has warned that any imposition of sanctions would be regarded as an "act of war."
Seoul, July 9 (Yonhap News)