[Anchor Lead]
The North Korean leader's latest visit to China has drawn attention for his last New Year's address, in which he pledged to push for multilateral talks that would include China. The South Korean government hopes that the second summit between Pyongyang and Washington will set the stage for multilateral talks.
[Pkg]
In his 2019 New Year's address, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for building a framework for talks on establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula.
[Soundbite] Kim Jong-un(N. Korean leader(Jan. 1)) : "I will also push for multilateral talks on switching the current armistice system to a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula by closely cooperating with the involved parties."
This means that Pyongyang wants to engage Beijing in the discussion of the peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, because China was also part to the Korean War Armistice. South Korea's National Intelligence Service reported to the National Assembly that Kim Jong-un was likely to discuss China's role during his visit to Beijing. Pundits say that China's role in the denuclearization talks could be discussed in more detail ahead of a second North Korea-U.S. summit. This means that Pyongyang is likely to move its nuclear weapons to China rather than the U.S. or Europe, and receive China's help to bolster its national defense capabilities. However, critics say that Pyongyang may be trying to secure Beijing's back prior to a second summit with Washington. Meanwhile, the South Korean government hopes that the ongoing summit between Pyongyang and Beijing will contribute to establishing a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.
[Soundbite] Kim Eui-gyeom(Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson) : "We hope that leader Kim Jong-un's fourth visit to China will set the stage for a second North Korea-U.S. summit."
The spokesperson also added that the government has been keeping in touch with North Korea and China to exchange information on Kim Jong-un's visit to China.
