SEOUL: South Korea urged North Korea Tuesday to scrap its nuclear weapons and focus on overcoming dire poverty in 2007.

In a New Year message, Unification Minister Lee Jae-Joung – in charge of relations with the North – called on the hardline communist state to cooperate with the South to lift living standards.

"As the world's 10th largest economy, South Korea must shoulder the burden to save North Korea from dire poverty," said Lee.

"Peace will not be ensured on the Korean peninsula unless North Korea finds a fundamental solution to poverty.

"Nuclear weapons or a nuclear programme will not provide security for North Korea. They should know their security and safety will be guaranteed if they overcome poverty through inter-Korean reconciliation, cooperation and co-prosperity."

North Korea suffered famine for several years starting in 1995 which killed hundreds of thousands of people. Its people still suffer persistent food shortages.

In July, South Korea suspended regular aid shipments worth millions of dollars in protest at the North's missile tests that month. The North halted inter-Korean dialogue in protest at the suspension.

South Korea has said it would resume distribution of aid, mostly food and fertilizer, only if North Korea remains sincere about abandoning its nuclear weapons drive.

Six-nation nuclear disarmament talks resumed last month for the first time in 13 months but ended in apparent deadlock. The talks took on added urgency after North Korea conducted its first nuclear weapons test in October. - AFP/so