South Korea appeals for peaceful solution

South Korea's president-elect has appealed to Russia, China and Japan Tuesday for cooperation in finding a peaceful solution to North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

A news agency has reported that the North had begun repair work at a nuclear reactor.

President-elect Roh Moo-hyun's meetings with ambassadors from regional powers follows the North's removal of UN seals and surveillance cameras from Soviet-designed nuclear facilities that could yield weapons within months.

"The president-elect requested cooperation from those concerned counties to help resolve the North's nuclear issue peacefully," said Roh's spokesman, Lee Nak-hyun.

However, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that North Korean technicians might be preparing to reactivate their 5-megawatt reactor at Yongbyon.