It is reported that South Korea may cancel a shipment of steel plates to North Korea that had been earmarked for power plant repairs in protest at its recent nuclear test which has triggered condemnations from the international community.
Accordingly, South Korea is now considering auctioning off the steel plates in question, which have been kept at a state warehouse.
Under a six-nation agreement in 2007, including China, US, Japan, Russia and South Korea, North Korea was promised one million mt of heavy fuel oil or the equivalent value in aid to repair its power stations, in return for disabling its plutonium-producing nuclear plants.
Last week, North Korea carried out an underground test on a nuclear weapon and also launched a series of short-range missiles. It also threatened to attack South Korea if its ships were stopped and searched at sea.