South Korean officials have told the Clinton administration that the financial crisis in South Korea and other Asian countries requires that the US provide a share of the cost of building the two power reactors promised to North Korea and that Japan contributes more to the project. The Koreans have flagged the problem before the February high-level meeting of KEDO (the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organisation) in New York which is scheduled to discuss methods for financing the reactors.
In the past, the US Congress has opposed providing any direct funds for the reactors, although it has gone along with the sending of $100 million worth of fuel oil to North Korea to help meet energy needs until the reactors come on line.
