41.   The U.S. ambassador to South Korea said Sunday that North Korea must apologize for its recent submarine incursion in the South to get Korean peace moves back on track.

42.   The United States will hold bilateral talks with North Korea in Berlin ahead of Korean peace talks scheduled for Monday in Geneva, the U.S Embassy said Thursday.

43.   The U.S. also may agree to upgrade its diplomatic contact with North Korea to encourage the communist state to agree to expanded Korean peace talks.

44.   The U.S.-South Korea briefing is aimed at persuading North Korea to attend four-party Korean peace talks which will eventually involve China.

45.   The United States immediately rejected the proposal, saying that any new Korean peace system must be negotiated and signed between North and South Korea.

46.   U.S. President Bill Clinton and Kim suggested early last week that the United States and China mediate in Korean peace talks.

47.   Washington maintains that any Korean peace treaty should be signed between the two Koreas.

48.   With floods and drought threatening a famine, North Korea said Sunday that it wanted to discuss obtaining more food aid before joining a Korean peace conference.

49.   His visit to Pyongyang came the day after South Korean President Kim Young-Sam promised to pursue efforts for Korean peace talks despite the submarine incident.

50.   Also on Thursday, a senior Japanese foreign ministry official expressed concern that the defection could seriously affect proposed Korean peace talks.