The Republic of Korea (ROK) on Sunday rejected a Pyongyang's proposal to change the venue for the next round of inter-Korean working-level economic talks. 

"It is regrettable that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has proposed a change in venue for the talks," the Unification Ministry of the ROK said in a statement.

"The planned talks should be held as was originally agreed upon. We strongly urge the DPRK to cooperate for the talks," said the statement.

Earlier Sunday, Choe Yong-gon, the DPRK's chief delegate to the inter-Korean economic talks, suggested in a notice to his ROK counterpart Kim Gwang-lim that the DPRK hopes to hold the meeting in Kaesong, a DPRK city just located north of the inter-Korean border, said the Yonhap.

The third inter-Korean working-level economic meeting was scheduled to take place in the ROK city of Paju, about 30 kilometers northeast of Seoul, on March 15 and 16 to discuss ways of settling inter-Korean trade.

In the notice, the DPRK chief delegate said the political chaos in the ROK urged the DPRK to reconsider the venue for the talks.

The ROK's opposition controlled unicameral National Assembly Friday passed the impeachment bill against President Roh Moo-hyun amid violence between political parties.

The impeachment has triggered large protests all over the country since Friday. Only in Seoul, more than 50,000 people attended a candlelight vigil in central Seoul Saturday night opposing the impeachment.

The ROK Prime Minister Goh Kun, who now is the acting president of the country, vowed to maintain social, economic as well as political stability before the Constitution Court makes a final ruling over the impeachment.

(Xinhua News Agency March 15, 2004)