Searches of N. Korean Ships Sticky Issue

A Chinese fishing boat passes by North Korean vessels docked along the waterfront of the North Korean city of Sinuiju opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong in northeast China, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2006. China is balking at stopping and searching North Korean ships for banned weapons and materials, creating tension with Washington over U.N. Security Council sanctions for the North's nuclear test. Beijing fears that such searches might trigger military clashes, and that the U.S. may use them to more widely police shipping, analysts said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) (Ng Han Guan - AP)

SEOUL, South Korea -- This would be the scenario: North Korean ships suspected of carrying weapons would be halted at sea by a U.S.-allied naval force, with commandos swooping in from helicopters to search the vessel from bow to stern.

Envisioned under the U.S. Proliferation Security Initiative, the prospect of such a search is receiving new impetus since North Korea's nuclear test _ and Washington is pressuring South Korea to sign on.

The Bush administration has been trying for years to get more nations to join its anti-proliferation initiative, aimed at stopping countries like North Korea from selling nuclear weaponry and missiles.

The U.S. ambassador to South Korea, Alexander Vershbow, said Wednesday that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would ask South Korea when she visits Seoul on Thursday "to join with others to expand cooperation" in the effort.

So far, South Korea has been noncommittal.

South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Lee Kyu-hyung said Wednesday that the Proliferation Security Initiative and the U.N. resolution sanctioning the North for its nuclear test were "separate issues." He added that Seoul was "considering adjusting our role at an appropriate and necessary level, that is in line with contents of the U.N. resolution."

However, a report by South's Yonhap news agency Thursday suggested that Seoul could be rethinking its plans and may move to inspect North Korean ships that stop at South Korean ports. Officials didn't immediately confirm the report.

The Proliferation Security Initiative was announced in 2003 in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks as an attempt to work with other navies and air forces to monitor and potentially intercept ships or aircraft suspected of ferrying illicit materials to rogue nations or to terrorists.

It started with 10 partners, including France, Germany, Japan and Britain, and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said this month it has grown to about 60 participating countries. The Pentagon and State Department have been trying to develop it into a stronger tool.

Rumsfeld conceded the initiative "has holes in it," including the absence of an internationally accepted legal basis for confiscating some materials on the high seas.

South Korean participation is deemed critical because North Korean ships now pass through the South's territorial waters under agreements between the two sides. The Proliferation Security Initiative in itself isn't empowered to search ships in international waters because of laws guaranteeing free passage.

Some allege North Korean ships that passed through the South's waters may have been involved in preparations for the North's Oct. 9 nuclear test.