January 12, 2009	Monday	Muharram 14, 1430

SEOUL, Jan 11: North Korea on Sunday warned that Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso’s visit to Seoul would force already tense inter-Korean ties into a “catastrophic stage”.

Aso arrived here on Sunday for a two-day visit focused on enhancing economic cooperation in the face of a global financial crisis and other issues including the North’s nuclear ambition.

“The Japanese premier’s excursion to South Korea will cement the collusion between conservatives in the South and Japanese reactionaries against the republic (North Korea),” said the Rodong Sinmun, the ruling communist party’s official daily newspaper.

“This will only result in negative consequences and push the already-tense inter-Korean ties into a catastrophic stage,” the paper said.

It accused the government of President Lee Myung-Bak of “rushing down the path toward confrontation and a war of aggression” against the North with Japan’s support.

Inter-Korean ties began to worsen after the conservative President Lee took office in February last year.—AFP