N. Korea makes overtures to RP

N. Korea makes overtures to RP

MANILA (AFP): North Korea is renewing its bid to establish diplomatic relations with the Philippines, Filipino Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon said on Monday.

He told reporters he met with North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun at the United Nations last week. "He suggested that maybe we could establish relations. I told him I will consult with members of Congress about this upon arrival in Manila," Siazon said.

Manila is the only Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member not to have direct ties with Pyongyang, which has been lobbying for diplomatic recognition since 1975 when Manila established diplomatic ties with North Korea's ally China in 1975.

However, Philippine response has been dominated by security considerations. Defense officials previously believed Pyongyang had been supporting communist guerrillas here and Manila is also wary at North Korean ambitions to develop nuclear weapons.