Foreign Minister Park Jin (R) shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi before starting their bilateral meeting at a hotel in Busan, Sunday, November 26, 2023.
BUSAN, Nov. 26 (Yonhap) — Foreign Minister Park Jin held a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Sunday, before holding a three-way meeting with their Japanese counterpart this afternoon.
The meeting came five days after North Korea launched a military spy satellite, successfully placing it in orbit after two failed attempts last May and August.
In response, South Korea canceled part of the 2018 inter-Korean agreement intended to reduce military tensions on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea, for its part, announced the next day its intention to immediately reinstate all military measures it had suspended under this agreement.
The evolving security situation on the Korean Peninsula appears to have dominated this morning’s discussions between the two ministers.
China calls on all parties concerned to “remain calm and exercise restraint” over the satellite launch, stressing that it will continue to play a “constructive role” in promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula .
The ministers also appear to have discussed strengthening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow, while Seoul and Washington suspect that the North received help from Russia in the technologies used to launch the space rocket, in return for deliveries of arms and ammunition that Russia needs in its war against Ukraine.
At the meeting, Park may also have raised the issue of the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors that China allegedly executed in October.
As a key ally of Pyongyang, Beijing does not recognize North Korean defectors as refugees and routinely sends them back to their country, where they can face harsh punishments.
The heads of diplomacy of the two states also reportedly discussed efforts to increase bilateral relations, including ways to promote high-level communication and people-to-people exchanges.
Observers say ties with Beijing have cooled recently due to the Yoon Suk Yeol government’s policy of moving closer to the United States and Japan, a departure from the previous Moon Jae-in administration which placed emphasis on relations with China. Under Yoon’s foreign policy, Seoul seeks to build a “healthy and more mature” relationship with Beijing.
Wang arrived in Busan yesterday. His last visit to South Korea was in September 2021.
(FIN)
2023-11-26 15:15:42
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