S Korea needs proof

Pressure from US angers S Korea

SEOUL: South Korea warned the US yesterday of trouble ahead in bilateral ties after an angry dispute broke out between Seoul and Washington over sanctions against North Korea. South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said friction could develop between the two allies over moves by US hawks to put pressure on Pyongyang. Seoul accused Washington of misleading the public about talks between the two sides on sanctions imposed by the US on North Korea. ... If the US Government tries to resolve problems through this kind of method, there will be friction, differences of opinion, between South Korea and the United States." ... The South Korean Government has maintained that it needs to see evidence before taking steps against Pyongyang. ...Relations between Seoul and Washington have often been tense under Mr Roh, who was elected on a wave of anti-Americanism in December 2002 after he vowed never to kowtow to the US.