February 21, 2003	Friday	Zul Hijjah 19, 1423

BEIJING, Feb 20: A North Korean fighter jet on Thursday violated South Korean airspace, overshadowing conciliatory noises by Pyongyang and Washington on the eve of a visit to Asia by US Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Military officials in Seoul said six South Korean F-5E fighters were scrambled and missile batteries on the west coast put on alert after the MiG-19 jet penetrated 13 kilometres into South Korean territory.

The incident, the first reported air space violation by a North Korean jet since 1983, occured over the Yellow Sea near where a naval clash between North and South Korea erupted last year.

“We strongly protest the provocation by the North Korean fighter and demand North Korea ensure there will be no recurrence,” the South Korean defence ministry said.

It came as North Korea insisted it wanted peace on the Korean peninsula but would not “beg”.

“The DPRK (North Korea) will try its best for the peace and stability on the Korean peninsula but will never beg for it,” said a statement faxed to AFP from the North Korean embassy in Beijing.

The communique followed news from Washington that Powell would visit Japan, China and South Korea in the coming days to discuss the nuclear standoff.

While the statement was a departure from the recent bluster out of Pyongyang, it accused the United States of not trying hard enough to solve the issue.

This, it said, was because Washington wanted to keep its heavy troop presence in South Korea and pursue its National Missile Defence (NMD).

“If pending issues, including the nuclear issue, between the DPRK and the US are solved and a stable situation on the Korean peninsula is created by the improvement of North-South and DPRK-Japan relations, there will be no excuse for the US to station its troops in South Korea and force forward its plan for NMD.”

The statement outlined “many historic events” on the Korean peninsula last year which it said were “turning points” in the drive to reunify the two Koreas and improve relations with Japan.

It said the moves had made the United States “uneasy” and prompted it to bring about a “nuclear issue”.

In a commentary, the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper denied the North was using brinkmanship to seek concessions from Washington.

“We are going our own way only,” it said. “It is quite clear to anyone that the decision can neither be blackmail to the US nor a measure for seeking concessions.”

North Korea has previously said US refusals to talk precipitated the crisis and resulted in Pyongyang threatening to pull out of the 1994 Agreed Framework and withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.

The Stalinist state has also indicated it had reactivated its nuclear facilities after Washington cut off fuel aid, although South Korea’s spy agency said Thursday there was no evidence of this.

Powell went on Hong Kong television to assure North Korea that Washington had no hostile intentions and was keen to talk.

“We will continue to discuss it (North Korea) with our Chinese colleagues and others in the region and we’ll continue to communicate through various channels to the DPRK that the United States has no intention of invading it,” he told Phoenix television.

“The United States wishes to help it, the United States is interested in helping the people of the DPRK who are starving and that, ultimately, we know that we will have conversations with the DPRK.”

But he ruled out bilateral dialogue, as demanded by Pyongyang.—AFP