By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
American, South Korean and other regional representatives condemned North Korea on Thursday over its defiant nuclear test and missile test-firings in the chairman's statement at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) this week in Phuket, Thailand.
But the North was successful in shifting the blame to the United States and reaffirmed its boycott of the six-party talks on its nuclear weapons program.
The U.S. and South Korean governments have been upset over the statement, facing a backlash over ``poor diplomatic maneuvers'' at the annual gathering. Critics say North Korea outpaced both governments.
``The ministers of several countries condemned the recent nuclear test and missile launches by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK),'' the two-page statement said. ``They strongly urged all U.N. member countries to commit themselves to fully implement the provision of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874 (2009)."
The North, in return, blamed Washington's ``hostile policy'' for its provocative activities.
``The DPRK did not recognize UNSC Resolution 1874 which has been adopted at the instigation of the United States,'' said the statement. ``The DPRK briefed the meeting of the fact that the ongoing aggravated situation on the Korean Peninsula is the product of the hostile policy of the United States against (it), and stated that the six-party talks have already come to an end.''
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Yu Myung-hwan, tried to downplay North Korea's rejection of an envisioned ``comprehensive package'' of incentives offered by the United States in exchange for the ``complete and irreversible'' dismantlement of its nuclear program.
``For now, it is still a concept, of which details should be worked out through consultations among related nations,'' the minister said after the meeting. He said that the proposal is part of efforts to prepare for the resumption of the six-way disarmament talks with the North.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a series of provocative remarks against the North, setting the stage for a war of words with a North Korean representative.
Refusing to meet bilaterally with the North Korean delegation, Clinton used various press interviews and briefings to deliver the Obama administration's warnings to Pyongyang. With ``no place to go'' and ``no friends left,'' she said the North faces a world unified in efforts to enforce U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874 that imposes tough sanctions on Pyongyang.
Clinton also likened the North to ``unruly teenagers'' who demand attention, while simultaneously emphasizing that there is still a chance for the beleaguered country to break its isolation.
``We and our partners have a more ambitious agenda for any future talks. Such talks must lead to irreversible steps by North Korea to denuclearize. This, in turn, would lead us and our partners to reciprocate in a comprehensive and coordinated manner,'' she said.
``Full normalization of relationships, a permanent peace regime, and significant energy and economic assistance are all possible in the context of full and verifiable denuclearization.''
Ri Hung-sik, head of the North Korean foreign ministry's international organization bureau, said Thursday that the Obama administration's denuclearization policy was a repeat of the Bush administration's attempt to unilaterally disarm Pyongyang through ``complete, verifiable, and irreversible dismantlement'' of its nuclear program.
The North's foreign ministry hurled personal insults at Clinton for her ``vulgar remarks,'' describing her as a ``funny lady'' who sometimes ``looks like a primary schoolgirl and sometimes a pensioner going shopping.''