SOUTH KOREA APPRECIATES MALAYSIA'S ROLE

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 (Bernama) -- South Korea appreciates Malaysia's role
and contribution to the promotion of peace and stability in North Asia,
especially the Korean Peninsula.

Its ambassdor to Malaysia, Bong Ryull Yang, said Kuala Lumpur was always
consistent in its stand to see a peaceful resolution to the North Korean nuclear
programme issue which had created tensions in the Korean Peninsula for many
years.

He said Malaysia had also been very supportive of the Six-Party talks
involving South Korea, North Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States
which were aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the issue of Pyongyang's
nuclear programme.

"Their (Malaysia's) stand is clear...no nuclear (weapons) in the Korean
Peninsula...and peaceful solutions to all problems and issues," he told Bernama
on the sidelines of the Fourth Korea-Asean Cooperation Forum here Thursday.

Ryull Yang noted that Malaysia, on many occasions, bilaterally and also
in regional and multilateral foras and through statements, had stated its desire
for tensions in the Peninsula not to esclate and that dialogues and negotiations
be pursued to solve any issues and problems.

Tensions had heightened in the region, following a naval clash along the
disputed Yellow Sea border on Tuesday, between the navies of the two Koreas, the
first such clash in seven years.

The two countries went to war in 1950, which ended three years later, but no
peace treaty was signed, resulting in the two countries remaining technically at
war.
-- BERNAMA