'China gave no advance notice … too early to say for certain'
'A North Korea-US summit could be the breakthrough; South Korea's role is pacemaker'
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Tuesday that North Korea and China may have discussed the possibility of North Korea-US dialogue during Kim Jong-un's visit to the Chinese border city of Dandong on Saturday.
Cho made the remarks at a comprehensive national audit conducted by the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, responding to a question from People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Young-se, who asked how he assessed the likelihood that North Korea-US dialogue had been on the agenda given that Ma Zhaoxu, China's Foreign Ministry executive vice minister, had also appeared in Dandong. "I think there is a possibility," Cho said. Ma is widely regarded as China's top America hand, overseeing negotiations with the United States within the Foreign Ministry.
Cho was careful to hedge, however. "It is still difficult to say for certain," he said, adding that "a number of factors will need to be considered together." He also confirmed that China had not given South Korea advance notice of Kim's visit to Dandong.
When Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Maeng Seong-gyu asked about his strategy for drawing North Korea back to dialogue, Cho pointed to a North Korea-US summit as the key. "I think a North Korea-US summit would serve as a catalyst for breaking through the current situation," he said.
"My strategy is to faithfully play the role of pacemaker on that basis, so that the United States can establish itself as the peacemaker," he added. He stressed that "it is important to bring North Korea to the table through close advance coordination with relevant countries, including China and Russia."
Cho also addressed concerns that the opening of the New Yalu River Bridge could weaken sanctions on North Korea. When Kwon raised the issue, Cho said there had already been concern about sanctions not being effectively enforced even before the bridge opened, but added that "China has still tried not to undermine the core principles of North Korea sanctions."
He added that "as North Korea and Russia draw closer, China is also feeling pressure and appears to be looking to increase its support for North Korea in some form."
Meanwhile, Cho said he had spoken directly with US Ambassador to South Korea Michelle Steel about her use of the word "turbulence" to describe the state of the South Korea-US relationship.
When People Power Party lawmaker Jeong Jeom-sik asked for his take on the remark, Cho said he had met Ambassador Steel for breakfast on Monday and that the word "turbulence" had come up in their conversation.
"I told her that when a plane passes through turbulence, there is no problem at all as long as you fasten your seatbelt firmly — and she agreed with me," he said.
rimsclub@heraldcorp.com
