South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said Thursday his government will not remain idle if the United States tries to resolve the nuclear issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) "with fists."  

The president made this remarks during a meeting with a group of journalists from a local province.

"It's because any decision by the United States (on the DPRK nuclear issue) should be a life and death problem for us, although the issue has actually become a bilateral issue between the DPRK and the United States, with the DPRK demanding a security guarantee from the United States," Roh said.

"We are making every effort to ensure that the United States will not make a unilateral decision on the nuclear issue without considering our position," Roh said.

Roh said his government will "maintain close ties with the United States to resolve the DPRK nuclear issue under the framework of the six-party nuclear talks."

"We are approaching the issue of the troop dispatch to Iraq and other security issues while keeping in mind our relationship with the United States to solve the nuclear issue," he said.

South Korea on Wednesday announced it decided to send some 3,000 additional troops to Iraq to help the US-rehabilitation work there.

Roh's remarks of the DPRK nuclear issue came amid intensified diplomacy among involved countries, who are trying to make the new round of six-party nuclear talks as early as possible.

South Korean Foreign Minister Yoon Young-kwan on Wednesday said that it is practically impossible to reopen nuclear talks within the year, but stressed "meaningful" progress has been made in the consultation among concerning nations.

(Xinhua News Agency December 19, 2003)