IN BRIEF (Page 10)

KOREAN PENINSULA

Putin advocates 'civilized' solution

Russia has always favored a civilized way to settle all disputes, including the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, said President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea should not be cornered or intimidated, he said at a meeting of Russian think tank Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, although Russia condemns Pyongyang's nuclear tests and adheres to UN sanctions. Whether someone likes or dislikes DPRK, it is a sovereign country, Putin noted, according to an official transcript of his speech.