Impeachment won't affect nuke talks: Seoul

Impeachment won't affect nuke talks: Seoul

Agencies, Seoul

South Korea played down the impact of President Roh Moo-hyun's impeachment on talks about North Korea's nuclear aims, but said on Monday it would question the North's sincerity if it slow- pedaled because of the vote.

Friday's opposition parliamentary vote to impeach Roh for breaking election law hit financial markets, sparked nightly protests by thousands of candle-waving South Koreans and thrust the country into political and economic uncertainty.

In the first fallout for North-South Korean ties, Seoul canceled bilateral economic talks planned for Monday after Pyongyang asked for a venue switch to the North because of the political uncertainty.

But South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon saw little impact on the separate six-way talks on North Korea's nuclear plans. "The North Korean nuclear issue and impeachment are completely separate issues," he told reporters.

"If North Korea is passive or decides to sit out a future round because of impeachment, we will have to question North Korea's commitment to resolving the nuclear issue peacefully." He said six-way talks could be held in working groups next month and then once more before the main delegates from China, Japan, the two Koreas, Russia and the United States meet again.

South Korea's Constitutional Court has six months to decide whether to uphold the vote, and Prime Minister Goh Kun is acting president during that time. The court looks set to decide its timetable at a meeting on Thursday.

Goh has vowed to stabilize financial markets in Asia's fourth- largest economy -- they rebounded on Monday.

In a sign it wants to keep Asia's fourth-largest economy on track amid crisis, the government said it would seek an extra budget if necessary but had no immediate plans to do so.

Meanwhile, the government said on Monday it would crack down on political unrest as financial markets brushed off fears of instability to bounce back on the first working day following the impeachment of Roh.

Candlelight protests that drew tens of thousands of people to the streets of Seoul for the past two nights were outlawed as Goh pledged to restore stability to the economy, guarantee security and oversee the run-up to crucial April 15 general elections.

Any political unrest would be harshly dealt with, the government warned.

"Any moves or rallies that cause social disorder will be strictly dealt with in accordance with laws and principle," a government statement said.

Earlier, police outlawed candlelight rallies that drew some 100,000 people to the streets of Seoul over the weekend.

"Evening candlelight rallies in the street are illegal," said senior police superintendent Kim Ok-jeon, in charge of security in the capital.

"According to the law, we will use force to disperse rallies if participants pay no heed to repeated warnings to disperse."

Goh, 66, a veteran of six South Korean administrations, said he would ensure government neutrality in the run-up to the April election.

"With just 30 days to go before the elections, we face a difficult political situation," Goh said following a cabinet meeting. "The government must maintain its neutrality for fair elections."

Roh's impeachment polarized politics and inflamed passions here and protesters said they planned daily demonstrations in the run-up to the April vote.

North Korea condemned the National Assembly vote to unseat Roh and pulled out of inter-Korean economic talks scheduled to start on Monday in South Korea after demanding a change of venue, citing political unrest sparked by the impeachment.

South Korea's Unification Ministry accused the communist state of seeking to exploit South Korea's problems and has expressed regret in a letter to Pyongyang.