U.S. Warns N. Korea On Nuclear Weapons; In Seoul, Clinton Demands Treaty Compliance
President Clinton, entering a Cold War time warp today, promised to protect East Asia and warned North Korea against engaging in "endless discussions" as a way to continue a program to build nuclear weapons.</br></br>Clinton arrived this afternoon from a meeting in Tokyo with leaders of the world's seven leading industrial powers, all preoccupied with post-Cold War concerns of economic recession and competition. In South Korea, Clinton is cast in the role assigned predecessors over four decades since the close of the Korean War: the stern guardian of a lonely frontier of freedom, facing communist North Korea.</br></br>"North Korea must understand our intentions. We are seeking to prevent aggression, not initiate it," Clinton said in a speech to the South Korean Assembly. "We urge North Korea to reaffirm its commitment to the Non-Proliferation Treaty" and allow inspections, he said.</br></br>In March, North Korea renounced adherence to the treaty. The move came amid reports that Pyongyang had obtained the ability to produce a nuclear bomb or two. A slow process toward reunification with South Korea halted.</br></br>China, at the behest of the United States, tried but failed to dissuade North Korea. The United States opened talks last month, and North Korea did reverse its decision. But the government of Marshal Kim Il Sung still would not let international inspectors check nuclear facilities. "The key issue is inspections," a senior administration official said.