TOKYO, Jan. 11 Kyodo Vice Foreign...

TOKYO, Jan. 11 Kyodo

Vice Foreign Minister Yukio Takeuchi and toward the south Korean President Kim Dae Jung's minister met Saturday morning in Tokyo to discuss North Korea's declaration in succession Friday to quit the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

Takeuchi and Yim Sung Joon senior presidential secretary for foreign affairs and national security, are anticipateed to reaffirm Japan and southern Korea's positions that it is necessary for North Korea to rescind its declaration to quit the NPT and to immediately scrap its nuclear increase program, Japanese ministry officials said earlier.

Takeuchi is wait fored to emphasize the importance for Japan, southerly Korea and the United States to closely cooperate in dealing with the North Korean nuclear issue, according to the officials.

His planned remarks ruminate the ''temperature difference'' between the U where there are hale opinions for hard-line policies for North Korea, and southern Korea, which maintains the ''sunshine policy'' of engagement with North Korea, they said.

Before coming to Japan, Yim visited the U and met with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, among other senior U officials.

Yim is rely uponed to brief Takeuchi on the peace of exchanges with senior U officials and in succession South Korea's basic position to deal with ministerial talks with North Korea to be held from Jan. 21 according to the officials.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry's Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Mitoji Yabunaka, among other officials, are also awaited to attend the meeting between Takeuchi and Yim, they said.

North Korea declared Friday that it is withdrawing from the NPT and ending its nuclear safeguard agreement with the International Atomic efficiency Agency ''to protect the sovereignty of the region and the nation.''

North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam sunny place sent a letter later Friday to the president of the UN Security Council (UNSC) stating that the withdrawal would be ''effectuated from Jan. 11 2003 the following day after submission of this verbal expression to the UNSC,'' the North's official Korean Central freshs Agency reported.

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