Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Myung-hwan Yu of Korea, South

Yu said that North Korea notified the United States that it planned to reassemble its nuclear facilities before it began moving mothballed equipment back into place this week.

We delivered a message of strong concern before it escalates into a serious (diplomatic) row," Yu said after the meeting, and vowed stronger action if the reports are confirmed.

South Korea's Yu said that if the reports were confirmed, it would damage efforts to develop better relations.

Yu said ambassador Shigeie responded by saying there had been no official decision and promising to convey Seoul's position.

Yu is the first official to confirm that countries outside the six-party group have been invited to pitch in energy aid instead of Japan as a reward to the communist state for disabling its plutonium-producing nuclear plants.

Once agreed, the relevant parties would share energy assistance (originally borne by Japan) valued at some 100 million dollars," Yu was quoted as telling the Korea Times.

Rice said she and Yu had held extensive talks about efforts to verify the North Korean nuclear inventory, which covers nuclear facilities and the production of bomb-making plutonium but not weapons.

Turning to the North Korean nuclear issue, Yu said he was ¡°concerned¡± that the denuclearization process ¡°remains at a stalemate in its second phase.

Yu said the new government will preserve Seoul's policy on the PSI, whose targets include North Korea.

Yu is expected to lay the groundwork for the upcoming visit by South Korean President Lee Myung Bak in late April and prepare for Lee's summit with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.

relationship has expanded to a great extent regarding all sectors of society, including security, politics and the economy, so I dont see any big changes in the alliance that cannot be managed through dialogue, in particular under the bilateral strategic alliance, Yu said in an interview at his office on the occasion of the 58th anniversary of The Korea Times.

Minister Yu said it will still take a long time for Washington and Pyongyang to improve their relationship even if Barack Obama, who advocates an engagement policy with North Korea, is elected.

Yu said the Seoul government was fully prepared to cooperate on North Koreas nuclear issues with the new US.

In 1994, Yu was minister of Koreas Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, and in 1995, he was presidential secretary for foreign affairs.

Between 2002 and 2004, Yu was Koreas top diplomat in Israel, and between 2004 and 2005, he was the ambassador to the Philippines.

Yu has been recognized for his diplomatic service over the years.

Yu is married with one son and one daughter.

Yu said South Korea is willing to see more Japanese investment in South Korea's raw material and machine components fields, and intends to discuss with Japan about cooperation to promote bilateral trade.

Minister Yu joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1973, and has served as Spokesperson of the Ministry(1992), Director-General of American Affairs Bureau(1996), and Minister(Deputy Chief of Mission) of Korean Embassy in the United States of America(1998.

Yu said he will discuss various ways of resuming the six-way talks on the North Korean nuclear issue when he meets with his US.

domestic political situation such as the presidential election, and the geopolitical conditions in the region," Yu said in a brief meeting with reporters before heading to Washington.

Yu said that consultations among related countries aimed at maintaining momentum in the nuclear talks are underway, adding his trip to Beijing last week was part of it.

Yu said he also had plans to meet US Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Steve Hadley, Bush's national security adviser.

Yu said he asked China to help speed up the negotiations.

Yu said South Korea's new President Lee Myung-bak would visit China as early as May China agreed in principle that its President Hu Jintao would visit Seoul, Yu said, adding that he expected Hu's visit would come later this year.

Prime Minister Aso will arrive in South Korea around noon on Jan 11 and leave the country around noon on Jan 12," Yu said at a press briefing.

It is too early to doubt the effectiveness of multinational talks on Pyongyang's nuclear disarmament although nuclear talks failed to break the deadlock, Yu said at a conference with ruling party lawmakers.

Yu had planned to visit Washington and hold "strategic dialogue" with his US.