SEOUL, June 1 (UPI) -- Little progress was reported Friday in Seoul talks between South Korea and North Korea after Pyongyang protested that it hadn't received promised rice aid.
South Korea promised to give North Korea 400,000 tons of rice in exchange for the closing of a nuclear facility in North Korea under a February agreement. The nuclear plant closure has been delayed by problems with frozen North Korean funds at a Macau bank that also played a part in the international deal.
"I explained that the implementation of the Feb. 13 agreement is what the Korean people want, so the rice aid should be provided with the consent and understanding of the public," South Korean negotiator Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung was quoted by Yonhap as saying.
The stalled rice aid disrupted talks on economic cooperation and other issues, Yonhap said.
The two countries issued a statement at the end of the four-day meeting but didn't schedule their next round of talks.
"We will continue to study the issues to promote peace, reconciliation and cooperation," the statement said.
