U.S. Accused of Shift on N.Korea's nuke Reactor

South Korea and the United States have discussed constructing a thermal power plant instead of one of two light water reactors in North Korea, Representative Kim Deog-ryong of the main opposition Grand National Party said Monday.

"In a secret negotiation, Jang Jai-ryong, deputy foreign minister, and Charles Kartman, U.S. envoy for Korean affairs, discussed alternatives to the light water nuclear reactor project at the end of May," Mr. Kim said in a meeting of the National Assembly's Unification and Foreign Affairs Committee.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade acknowledged in a statement that such discussions had taken place, but said the plan had been scrapped because it would "cause a lot of problems."

The opposition lawmaker revealed what he said was a six-page secret report titled "Record of Discussion Between South Korea and the United States on the Korea Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO)."

The proposed alternative calls for South Korea to supply electricity directly to the North. In a 1994 agreement between the United States and North Korea, Pyongyang agreed to scrap its nuclear weapons program in return for a U.S. promise to build two nuclear reactors in the North by 2003 and to provide interim heavy oil. KEDO was formed to oversee the construction, but delays have plagued the $4.6 billion project.

"With the delay in construction, the United States faced the prospect of providing an additional 500,000 tons of heavy oil a year over six years to the North,'' Mr. Kim said. "Washington proposed to the South that a consultative body be formed among South Korea, the United States and Japan. When Seoul strongly objected, the United States proposed instead that it build a thermal power plant and both sides came to an tentative agreement on the issue."

He added that the Korea Electric Power Corp. has already formed a North-South electricity task force.

In rebuttal to Mr. Kim, Chang Sun-sup, a KEDO board member, said that it "must seek board approval for these decisions. They cannot be discussed in secret between South Korea and the United States."

by Sang youn Choi