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'China's role significant for peace on peninsula'
By Jun Ji-hye
South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry agreed Monday that a constructive role by China was significant in solidifying peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
During their 30-minute bilateral talks held on the sidelines of the Conference on Global Leadership in the Arctic, held in Anchorage, the two top diplomats also discussed preparations for President Park Geun-hye’s scheduled visit to the United States in October.
Their meeting, the third this year, came amid growing concerns about the impact of Park’s planned visit to China this week on the Seoul-Washington alliance.
Park plans to visit China to participate in the country’s Thursday celebration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, which will include a massive military parade.
President Barack Obama rejected Beijing’s invitation to the parade, which is apparently designed to show off China's growing military power.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, however, Kerry expressed “sufficient understanding” of Park’s decision and the implications of her participation on security on the Korean Peninsula.
Kerry’s comments apparently referred to Cheong Wa Dae’s explanation when it announced Park’s decision. At the time, presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook said, “China’s potential role and contribution in the peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula factored into the decision.”
Yun and Kerry shared a view of the importance of Beijing’s constructive role in this regard, the ministry noted.
Kerry also reaffirmed that the allies maintain a “superb partnership” in dealing with national security matters, according to officials. The two vowed to continue to make joint efforts to cope with North Korea.
The reaffirmation came as the two Koreas experienced a serious level of military tension last month following Aug. 4 landmine explosions inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), blamed on Pyongyang.
During a tense standoff, Seoul and Washington responded together by considering deploying the U.S. strategic military assets, including B-52 and B-2 bombers and a nuclear submarine, to deter additional provocations from the reclusive state.
Officials added the two also agreed to closely cooperate to hold successful a summit between Park and Obama.
“They had a productive discussion on plans for Republic of Korea (ROK) President Park’s upcoming visit and a broad range of bilateral, regional and global issues,” a senior State Department official told reporters on background.
Park was initially planning to visit Washington for the summit in June, but postponed the trip due to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in Korea, which killed 36 people.
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