Joo Joong-dae: "China Must Consider South Korea's Concerns Facing North Korean Nuclear Provocations"

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Kim Hyunjung] Ambassador Jeong Jae-ho, the South Korean ambassador to China, stated that China should take into account South Korea's legitimate security concerns in the face of North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations.

According to the South Korean Embassy in China on the 15th, Ambassador Jeong made these remarks during a meeting with Sun Weidong, Vice Minister of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the previous day. This statement is also related to the trilateral foreign deputy ministers' meeting of South Korea, the United States, and Japan held in Washington, U.S., on the 13th, where they agreed to strengthen cooperation in responding to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. It can be understood that China also urged to exercise its influence on North Korea by considering South Korea's security concerns.

Jaeho Jung, South Korean Ambassador to China (left), and Sun Weidong, Vice Minister of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (right), are meeting and conversing on the 14th at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing. (Photo by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in China website)

Ambassador Jeong and Vice Minister Sun also agreed to maintain close communication to ensure the smooth implementation of measures from the Korea-China summit held during the G20 summit in November last year. At this meeting, Ambassador Jeong reportedly requested the Chinese side to lift the suspension of short-term visa issuance as soon as possible, considering the trust relationship between the two countries, according to the embassy. The Chinese Embassy in South Korea announced on the 15th that it would lift the short-term visa restrictions for Koreans starting from the 18th. In addition, both sides discussed bilateral relations and the international situation.

Although not included in the content of the meeting disclosed by the South Korean Embassy in China, Vice Minister Sun also expressed China's position on the U.S. shooting down of a Chinese civilian unmanned aerial vehicle on that day. According to a press release published on the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, Vice Minister Sun stated regarding the unmanned aerial vehicle, "We hope the South Korean side will make an objective, rational, and fair judgment by discerning right from wrong."

Earlier, on the 13th, Cho Hyun-dong, First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attended the trilateral foreign deputy ministers' meeting in Washington, U.S., and said regarding the balloon incident, "We cannot tolerate any infringement on the territorial sovereignty of other countries, and we have already made it clear that we can take necessary measures according to international law."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.