Politics
19:28, 04-Jan-2018
S. Korea's FM says to push for improved inter-Korean ties, denuclearization efforts
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The Republic of Korea's (ROK) Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said on Thursday that her country will push simultaneously for improved relations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and concerted efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
Kang made the remarks during her meeting with Marc Knapper, acting US ambassador to the ROK, and Gen. Vincent Brooks, commander of the US Forces Korea (USFK), according to Seoul's foreign ministry.
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha (C) with Gen. Vincent Brooks (L), commander of US Forces Korea, and acting US Ambassador to South Korea Marc Knapper during a meeting at her office in Seoul on Jan. 4, 2018. /VCG Photo
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha (C) with Gen. Vincent Brooks (L), commander of US Forces Korea, and acting US Ambassador to South Korea Marc Knapper during a meeting at her office in Seoul on Jan. 4, 2018. /VCG Photo
Kang said the ROK will closely cooperate with the international community, including the United States, to push simultaneously for enhanced inter-Korean ties and the resolution of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.
Her comments indicated Seoul's efforts to encourage the DPRK to return to a dialogue table for the denuclearization of the peninsula through sanctions and pressure.
Tensions on the peninsula, which escalated last year with DPRK's nuclear and missile provocations, showed signs of a thaw as top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un showed his willingness to participate in the ROK-hosted Winter Olympic Games scheduled for February in the country's eastern county of PyeongChang.
In response, the ROK offered to Pyongyang holding talks on Jan. 9 about DPRK's delegation dispatch to the winter sports event as well as other issues of mutual concern.
The two Koreas reopened a communication channel in the truce village of Panmunjom, which has been cut off since it was shut down by the ROK in February 2016.
Source(s): Xinhua News Agency