S Korea press regrets talks exclusion

President Roh had pledged to take a leading role in tackling the North

South Korea's newspapers have expressed widespread disappointment that Seoul has not been invited to talks on Pyongyang's nuclear programme, which are to be held in Beijing next week.

The large-circulation Chungang Ilbo describes South Korea's exclusion from the talks as "very regrettable".

Its editorial fears a repeat of the armistice agreement in 1953, which was concluded without Seoul's participation.

"It is incomprehensible that they will be making important decisions on the Korean peninsula's peace and security with the South excluded," the paper laments.

Seoul will only shoulder a heavy burden, while not being able to play its role in the negotiation process

Tong-a Ilbo

Left behind

The moderate Tong-a Ilbo describes the exclusion of South Korea as a "hard-to-comprehend talks format".

It doubts the South will actually be able to participate in the talks at a later stage - as suggested by Washington - warning that Seoul will "only shoulder a heavy burden while not being able to play its role in the negotiation process".

The anti-North Choson Ilbo is concerned that even if South Korea does take part in the talks later, "it will only shoulder the burden of providing assistance to the North".

Roh ridiculed

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun - who previously said South Korea would play "a leading role in Korean peninsula affairs", comes under fire over the issue.

A cartoon in Chungang Ilbo shows the president struggling to place a banner reading "South Korea should play the leading role" on the ground right outside a Chinese restaurant, where the North Korean, US and Chinese leaders can be seen drinking to the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue.

The government must officially express its desire to reopen the North-South dialogue

Taehan Maeil

Another cartoon, in Choson Ilbo, shows North Korean, Chinese and US leaders sitting at a table asking "D'ya have it ready?" Mr Roh, holding a briefcase full of money for the "costs of nuclear issue resolution", says: "Aye, aye, sirs!"

More talks

But a glimmer of hope can be sensed in Seoul's Taehan Maeil.

The paper believes the South Korean Government can view the upcoming talks in Beijing as an opportunity to reopen inter-Korean talks.

"The government must officially express at an appropriate time its desire to reopen the North-South dialogue. It should ride on the tide of dialogue on the North Korean nuclear issue."

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.