The chief nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States were in Beijing on Thursday to seek ways to resume the long－stalled six－party talks on North Korea′s nuclear weapons program.
Kim Hyun－bin reports.
South Korea′s envoy Hwang Joon－kook and his American counterpart Sung Kim held separate talks with China′s chief nuclear envoy Wu Dawei on Thursday to demand Beijing play more of a constructive role in pressuring the North to give up its nuclear ambitions.
But China rebuffed the attempt to make it do more of the legwork.
″North Korean issues are a joint responsibility and each nation needs to put in more constructive efforts.″
China says the six－party members should be more lenient with North Korea and it urged Seoul and Washington to refrain from holding large－scale joint military drills.
China claims to have done its fair share by taking the initiative and responsibility， when dealing with Pyongyang.
″″China is a responsible nation. As one of the leading nations，... we will take necessary actions to deal with North Korea′s nuclear program.″
Also on Thursday， officials from five countries involved in the six－party talks held an informal meeting in Tokyo.
During the so－called Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue， which North Korea chose not to attend，... the officials are known to have shared views on a broad range of issues related to Pyongyang′s nuclear and missile development and how to deal with the issue.
Kim Hyun－bin， Arirang News.
