Seoul-Washington, Pyeongyang-Beijing maintain close alliances amid stalled denuclearization talks
- 5 years ago
Amid stalled denuclearization talks between Pyeongyang and Washington,... and talks of a possible visit to Seoul by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un,... Seoul and Washington's top diplomats got together to talk about the current situation.
Lee Ji-won has more.
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to discuss their joint efforts to denuclearize North Korea.
According to Seoul's foreign ministry, Kang and Pompeo met in Washington on Thursday,... after attending former U.S. President George H.W. Bush's funeral.
The diplomats reaffirmed their close cooperation toward the final, fully verified denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The two sides also promised to continue their work toward reaching a satisfactory agreement on defense cost sharing.
The meeting comes two months after their previous one in October,... when Pompeo visited Seoul right after his fourth trip to North Korea.
And as Washington is consulting Seoul on its denuclearization talks with North Korea,... Pyeongyang and Beijing are also maintaining their close ties.
North Korea's foreign minister Ri Yong-ho arrived in Beijing on Thursday upon his Chinese counterpart's invitation.
Ri is expected to have met with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Friday morning, and discussed Pyeongyang-Beijing ties, the North's denuclearization efforts and Chinese President Xi Jinping's summit with the U.S. President on the sidelines of the G20 summit last week.
Some watchers say their meeting is seen as a way to reaffirm their alliance, and to urge China to play a more active role in the Pyeongyang-Washington talks.
A senior official at Seoul's foreign affairs ministry said that the ministry is closely watching how North Korea and China have been increasing their high-level exchanges this year.
The official added that Seoul is closely cooperating with Beijing on the efforts towards denuclearization and peace on the Korean peninsula.
There is speculation that Ri might also meet President Xi before leaving on Saturday.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.
Lee Ji-won has more.
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to discuss their joint efforts to denuclearize North Korea.
According to Seoul's foreign ministry, Kang and Pompeo met in Washington on Thursday,... after attending former U.S. President George H.W. Bush's funeral.
The diplomats reaffirmed their close cooperation toward the final, fully verified denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The two sides also promised to continue their work toward reaching a satisfactory agreement on defense cost sharing.
The meeting comes two months after their previous one in October,... when Pompeo visited Seoul right after his fourth trip to North Korea.
And as Washington is consulting Seoul on its denuclearization talks with North Korea,... Pyeongyang and Beijing are also maintaining their close ties.
North Korea's foreign minister Ri Yong-ho arrived in Beijing on Thursday upon his Chinese counterpart's invitation.
Ri is expected to have met with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Friday morning, and discussed Pyeongyang-Beijing ties, the North's denuclearization efforts and Chinese President Xi Jinping's summit with the U.S. President on the sidelines of the G20 summit last week.
Some watchers say their meeting is seen as a way to reaffirm their alliance, and to urge China to play a more active role in the Pyeongyang-Washington talks.
A senior official at Seoul's foreign affairs ministry said that the ministry is closely watching how North Korea and China have been increasing their high-level exchanges this year.
The official added that Seoul is closely cooperating with Beijing on the efforts towards denuclearization and peace on the Korean peninsula.
There is speculation that Ri might also meet President Xi before leaving on Saturday.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.