High level talks were held in New York betwen U.N. representatives and Security Council members plus Japan and the Republic of Korea. All sides agreed that the main issues to address on the Korean peninsula included nuclear proliferation, the repatriation of Japanese hostages, and the plight of DPRK refugees along the borders with China and Russia. Secretary-General Ban-ki Moon, however, expressed frustrationsthat the representative countries could not come to an agreement on restarting six-party talks and which faction to invite. Efforts to begin talks were stalled when China requested 4 billion dollars in direct aid for North Korean refugees. The UN will continue to pursue six party talks.