Make N Korea 'pay price'

China will back a UN Security Council resolution to make North Korea "pay the necessary price" for recent rocket launches, its foreign minister told Reuters yesterday, adding the goal was to get Pyongyang back to the negotiating table.

Earlier, South Korea said it will begin talks with Washington as early as next week on deploying the advanced US missile defence system following North Korea's rocket launch.

Wang Yi also said he was concerned by a possible US deployment of its sophisticated THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile defence system to South Korea, saying it could also be used to target China.

North Korea has been under UN sanctions since its first nuclear test in 2006. It has conducted three more atomic tests since then.

Washington and Beijing have appeared divided over how to respond to North Korea, with Washington urging tougher sanctions and Beijing stressing the need for dialogue.

However, Wang told Reuters at an interview in Munich that it was time for a "strong" resolution covering a wide range of areas.

"(We) support the United Nations Security Council to take further steps and in adopting a new resolution so that North Korea will pay the necessary price and show there are consequences for its behaviour," the minister said.

South Korea on Wednesday suspended operations at the Kaesong industrial zone as punishment for the rocket launch . The North called the move "a declaration of war" on Thursday and expelled the South's workers.  A few minutes before yesterday midnight, the South shut off the supply of electricity into Kaesong that powered the factory zone, the ministry said early yesterday. It also cut the water supply.