Japan shrugs off NKorea complaints

MANILA (AFP) - Japan shrugged off criticism from North Korea here Thursday but said it still would not send aid to Pyongyang until progress is made in a nagging dispute over kidnapped Japanese nationals.

Diplomats said new North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui-Chun, attending Asia's annual security summit for the first time, blasted Japan for not helping fund an international deal to disarm the North's nuclear weapons programs.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso, who was on hand at the closed-door meeting to hear Pak's presentation, dismissed the speech and took a dig of his own at the North Korean, who just took over his post in May.