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.