By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter

U.S. officials are putting increasing pressure on North Korea for denuclearization amid prolonged tension between Washington and Pyongyang over North Korea"s failure to submit a list of its nuclear programs.

But North Korea said that it will not be helpful for the United States to take only a hard-line stance against Pyongyang.

Christopher Hill, the top U.S. nuclear negotiator, said at a Senate foreign affairs hearing Wednesday that he is still suspicious of North Korea"s explanation over its uranium enrichment program (UEP).

Though North Korea has insisted it does not have an active program, Hill said Pyongyang officials have promised they would address the issue to Washington"s satisfaction.
North Korea has not responded loudly to the U.S. criticisms.

``If the U.S. hawks oppose dialogue and negotiation, adopting only hard-line policies, all the progress made so far will disappear,"" the North"s main state-controlled Rodong Shinmun newspaper said in its editorial Friday.

In Wednesday"s Senate hearing, Hill also said North Korea should explain allegations that it may have helped Syria pursue a nuclear weapons facility.

Pyongyang had to declare all its nuclear weapons programs and disable nuclear facilities by the end of 2007 in return for economic aid and political concessions under the six-party talks" accords. But the communist country has not kept that promise yet, according to the U.S.

Hill said North Korea has balked at providing ``complete and correct"" disclosure of nuclear programs to eventually be dismantled.

``Let me be clear,"" Hill said. ``Complete and correct means complete and correct. This declaration must include all nuclear weapons, programs, materials and facilities, including clarification of any proliferation activities.""

Hill"s remarks came a day after Mike McConnell, a director of U.S. intelligence, questioned North Korea"s commitment to the six-nation-talks aimed at ending its nuclear ambitions. The talks have faced an impasse since North Korea missed the 2007 deadline.

McConnell also said the U.S. intelligence community believes North Korea has continued to work on a secret UEP and to sell its weapons around the world.

A U.S. accusation in 2002 that North Korea sought to enrich uranium in violation of an earlier disarmament deal was the main reason for the second nuclear crisis.

The United States questioned aluminum tubes believed to be used for uranium enrichment in North Korea last year, but Pyongyang said they were used for conventional weapons systems.

However, a U.S. delegation to the North led by Sung Kim, a director of the State Department in charge of Korea, found traces of uranium enrichment while analyzing the tubes. The discovery prompted U.S. hardliners to promote tougher policies rather than negotiation toward North Korea.

Sen. John McCain, the most likely Republican presidential nominee, also doubted the North"s commitment to the six-party talks, which involve the two Koreas, the United States, China, Russia and Japan.

McCain said that talks must take into account North Korea"s ballistic missile programs, its abduction of Japanese citizens and its support for terrorism and weapons proliferation.