By Park Song-wu
Staff Reporter


South Korea on Wednesday expressed ``deep concern’’ over Iran’s recent decision to remove the seals at its nuclear research centers, which a U.N. nuclear watchdog considers a cover for secret weapons development.

During a meeting with Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mehdi Safari in Seoul, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ban Ki-moon said that South Korea strongly supports the international efforts to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Ban said that Safari, who is in charge of Iran’s Asia-Pacific affairs, explained Iran’s hope to settle the nuclear issue ``within the framework’’ of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The foreign minister reacted to Teheran’s position by saying that he also wants the Iranian nuclear issue to be settled through dialogue.

``We would like to see the Iranian nuclear issue to be solved promptly through dialogue, and without referring it to the U.N. Security Council,’’ Ban told reporters at a weekly briefing.

But he did not mention whether South Korea will vote for an IAEA resolution in March as it did last year.

During an interview with a South Korean newspaper last week, Safari warned that Iran would ``reconsider’’ its relationship with South Korea if Seoul votes for the IAEA resolution again.

In a resolution on Sept. 24, the IAEA’s board declared Iran ``in non-compliance’’ with its anti-nuclear commitments and implied that it could be referred to the U.N. Security Council.

A total of 22 countries, including South Korea, voted for the resolution, while 12 countries, including China and Russia, abstained. One country voted against the resolution.

South Korea’s policy on the nuclear issue has been in sync with the United States as both are currently trying to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons programs.

In October, Iran temporarily halted imports of South Korean goods. The import ban was lifted weeks after South Korea dispatched a vice foreign minister to Iran. But it currently takes a long time for South Korean exporters to get through the Teheran’s bureaucratic processes.

Around 20 South Korean companies, such as LG Electronics, are operating branch offices in Iran.

The two countries’ trade volume reaches $4.6 billion a year. South Korea’s main export items are steel, plastics, automobiles and electronic goods. Around 90 percent of Iran’s exports to South Korea are crude oil.

Safari arrived in Seoul on Tuesday after finishing his two-day mission in Beijing. He will depart for Teheran to on Thursday.

im@koreatimes.co.kr