The Financial Times newspaper, citing an interview with Foreign Minister Yoon Young-Kwan, said South Korea had rejected US calls for the UN Security Council to intervene.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Kim Sun-Heung said that the government was not opposed to such a plan, but the timing had to be right.

"Minister Yoon expressed the government position," he said. "We are now exerting our efforts for a diplomatic solution. It is better for us to resolve the crisis outside the UN framework at this time."

He said Seoul was concerned about the possible perception that a rift existed between South Korea and the United States over UN involvement and said, "That is not correct."

Yoon's comments coincided with a visit to Seoul of top US arms control official John Bolton, who will meet with Yoon later Wednesday to push for UN Security council involvement in the nine-month old crisis.

The undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, considered one of the leading hawks on North Korea in the administration of President George W. Bush, said on arrival in Seoul on Tuesday he was intent on bringing the nuclear crisis before the UN Security Council.

Asked whether a UN role, vehemently opposed by North Korea, would conflict with efforts to resolve the crisis through multilateral talks, he said: "No. I think it will be complementary. We have favoured (the nuclear crisis) being in the security council because that's appropriate."

Twice since the crisis erupted in October last year, US efforts to bring the nuclear statemate to the Security Council have been blocked by opposition from permanent members China and Russia.

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