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SEOUL - South Korea Tuesday joined a US-led drive to curb trade in weapons of mass destruction following North Korea's second nuclear test -- a move which Pyongyang has said would be tantamount to a declaration of war.
Seoul's full participation in the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) came as the UN Security Council condemned the North's test Monday and began working on a resolution designed to punish the communist state.
The foreign ministry announcement made South Korea a full member of the anti-proliferation initiative. It had previously only been an observer for fear of offending its neighbour.
It decided in principle to join PSI after the North's April 5 long-range rocket launch, but delayed a formal announcement while trying to resume cross-border dialogue.
After the atomic test, which sparked international anger, Seoul decided to wait no longer.
The government made its decision "to cope with the serious threat that the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and missiles poses to world peace and security," foreign ministry spokesman Moon Tae-Young said, without referring to Monday's nuclear test.
"But maritime agreements reached between South and North Korea will still remain valid," he said, referring to accords on the safe passage of cargo ships through each other's waters.
The initiative, which includes military drills aimed at stopping and searching ships and aircraft, was launched by then-US President George W. Bush in 2003 and now involves more than 90 countries.
North Korea has been an active exporter of missiles in recent years.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff office held an emergency meeting of top military commanders to stress the need to heighten vigilance against the North's "militarily provocative acts," a spokesman told AFP.
The North is preparing to test-fire short-range missiles in the Yellow Sea, a recognised tactic at times of military tension, a media report said.
It has declared an off-limits area for shipping off its west coast and is likely to fire missiles Tuesday or Wednesday, Yonhap news agency quoted a Seoul government source as saying.
Military officials said they could not comment on intelligence matters.
But they earlier confirmed that the North fired three short-range ground-to-air missiles off its east coast Monday.
President Lee Myung-Bak and US President Barack Obama vowed to press for a strong UN resolution against the North in a telephone conversation.
They "agreed to work closely together to seek and support a strong United Nations Security Council resolution with concrete measures to curtail North Korea's nuclear and missile activities," a White House statement said.
Defence Minister Lee Sang-Hee left for China for talks with his counterpart at which the nuclear test was likely to be high on the agenda. He originally cancelled the trip in the aftermath of the test but changed his mind.
"The defence chiefs' meeting had been scheduled as part of bilateral exchanges before the nuclear test, but both sides will inevitably discuss the most pressing issue when they meet," a defence official told AFP.
- AFP/ir
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