Pyongyang’s newly disclosed uranium enrichment program has also sparked fears it could produce more material to make nuclear bombs.
South Korea's army chief resigned Tuesday over a controversial property investment, at a time officials from Seoul and Moscow voiced concerns over North Korea’s nuclear program.
General Hwang Eui-Don stepped down following media reports that he had profited unfairly from the property deal, a claim he denies.
But he judged it inappropriate to stay in his post at a time when he must lead reform of the army, a defense ministry spokesman told AFP.
The bombardment of Yeonpyeong Island on November 23, near the disputed Yellow Sea border, killed four people.
Pyongyang's newly disclosed uranium enrichment program has also sparked fears it could produce more material to make nuclear bombs.
South Korea's foreign minister voiced suspicion on Tuesday that North Korea may have secret uranium enrichment facilities, in addition to the one it disclosed last month.
The North revealed an apparently operational uranium enrichment plant at its Yongbyon atomic complex to visiting US experts on November 12, saying its new operation is intended to fuel a nuclear power plant.
Diplomats are touring the region to discuss a response both to the attack and the potential new nuclear threat.
Chosun Ilbo newspaper, quoting a South Korean intelligence source, said Seoul and Washington believe there may be three or four other locations where the North is conducting uranium enrichment.
"It is a report based on intelligence information and I would just like to say we have been following the issue for some time," Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan told a briefing.
Lavrov urged North Korea to comply with UN Security Council resolutions banning its nuclear activities and called for a resumption of six-party talks aimed at negotiating an end to the North's nuclear programs.
Russia is one of the six countries involved in the stalled talks alongside the two Koreas, China, Japan and the United States.
China, the North's sole major ally, has called for a new meeting of six-party envoys to resolve the latest crisis.
But the United States, Japan and South Korea say a return to negotiations at this point could be seen as “rewarding the North's aggression.”
They want China, which has failed publicly to condemn its ally for the island attack, to take a tougher line. US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg is to visit Beijing this week to press for stronger action.
General Hwang Eui-Don stepped down following media reports that he had profited unfairly from the property deal, a claim he denies.
But he judged it inappropriate to stay in his post at a time when he must lead reform of the army, a defense ministry spokesman told AFP.
The bombardment of Yeonpyeong Island on November 23, near the disputed Yellow Sea border, killed four people.
Pyongyang's newly disclosed uranium enrichment program has also sparked fears it could produce more material to make nuclear bombs.
South Korea's foreign minister voiced suspicion on Tuesday that North Korea may have secret uranium enrichment facilities, in addition to the one it disclosed last month.
The North revealed an apparently operational uranium enrichment plant at its Yongbyon atomic complex to visiting US experts on November 12, saying its new operation is intended to fuel a nuclear power plant.
Diplomats are touring the region to discuss a response both to the attack and the potential new nuclear threat.
Chosun Ilbo newspaper, quoting a South Korean intelligence source, said Seoul and Washington believe there may be three or four other locations where the North is conducting uranium enrichment.
"It is a report based on intelligence information and I would just like to say we have been following the issue for some time," Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan told a briefing.
Lavrov urged North Korea to comply with UN Security Council resolutions banning its nuclear activities and called for a resumption of six-party talks aimed at negotiating an end to the North's nuclear programs.
Russia is one of the six countries involved in the stalled talks alongside the two Koreas, China, Japan and the United States.
China, the North's sole major ally, has called for a new meeting of six-party envoys to resolve the latest crisis.
But the United States, Japan and South Korea say a return to negotiations at this point could be seen as “rewarding the North's aggression.”
They want China, which has failed publicly to condemn its ally for the island attack, to take a tougher line. US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg is to visit Beijing this week to press for stronger action.
