TENSIONS BETWEEN RUSSIA AND SOUTH KOREA FESTER.

A meeting between the foreign ministers of Russia and South Korea has apparently failed to resolve a dispute between the two countries over a series of spy charges and a related expulsion of diplomats. Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov met in Manila yesterday with his South Korean counterpart, Park Chung-soo. South Korean officials suggested to reporters afterward, however, that the two sides had deadlocked over a Russian demand that South Korea retract its July 8 decision to expel a Russian diplomat from South Korea. (AP, July 26)

Seoul’s expulsion order had been retaliation for a July 4 incident of Russian authorities arresting a South Korean diplomat and expelling him on charges of espionage. South Korea had hoped to close the matter on July 20 when it recalled an additional five diplomats from Russia. The recall, which had reportedly come at Russia’s behest, was described as part of an agreement between the two countries to limit the number of intelligence agents assigned to diplomatic missions. (AP, July 26; see also the Monitor, July 21)

RUSSIANS APPLAUDS DEVELOPMENTS IN JAPAN.