The foreign ministers of North and South Korea met briefly on Saturday as the United States maintained Pyongyang had to improve ties with its neighbour and demonstrate good behaviour before six-party talks on its nuclear programme could resume. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said an earlier meeting between North and South Korean envoys on the sidelines of an Asian security conference was encouraging, but added that nuclear-capable Pyongyang must prove it has changed.
“We urge North Korea to demonstrate a change in behaviour, including ceasing provocative actions, taking steps toward irreversible denuclearisation and complying with its commitments,” Clinton said in remarks to the ASEAN Regional Forum on the Indonesian island of Bali. On Saturday, the South’s foreign minister, Kim Sung-hwan, held a brief conversation with his North Korean counterpart Pak Ui-chun before the plenary session of the security forum, where foreign ministers or representatives from 27 countries were present, diplomats said.
