South Korea is considering holding off on rice aid to North Korea until the communist nation takes steps to shut down its main nuclear reactor, news reports said Monday. 
 
The reports came after the North missed a Saturday deadline to shut down its Yongbyon reactor and allow U.N. inspectors to verify and seal the facility. The two Koreas are set to begin talks on Wednesday in Pyongyang to discuss the North's request for 400,000 MT of rice. 

North Korea had until Saturday to shut down its nuclear reactor, but failed to do so because of a delay in the release of its funds frozen in a Macau bank, which was blacklisted by the United States for allegedly assisting the
communist regime in money-laundering and counterfeiting.