BEIJING (Yonhap) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan called for China Saturday to play a greater role in handling North Korea's planned long-range rocket launch, saying Pyongyang should be punished with sanctions if it goes ahead with the provocative move, an official said.
Kim issued the appeal during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, calling for a strong and stern message to North Korea over the rocket launch that violates a U.N. Security Council resolution, Seoul's Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Byung-jae said.
Their meeting took place in the eastern Chinese city of Ningbo on the sidelines of an annual three-way foreign ministers' meeting that also involves Japan.
Yang said in response that Beijing has already conveyed concerns to North Korea about negative effects that the planned launch would bring about, and pledged to continue to try until the last moment to persuade Pyongyang to call off the liftoff, the spokesman said.
Yang said Seoul and Beijing should work closely to cope with the issue not only bilaterally, but also at the United Nations, stressing that the sides should try to prevent a situation from arising that runs counter to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, Cho said.
China is Pyongyang's last-remaining major ally and main provider of economic assistance and diplomatic protection. One of the veto-holding permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, Beijing holds the key to punishing Pyongyang with sanctions.
North Korea says it will launch its Unha-3 long-range rocket between April 12-16 to put what it claims is a satellite into orbit. However, the U.S. and regional powers believe the launch is aimed at testing the North's ballistic missile technology.
Also Saturday, Kim and Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba held a bilateral meeting and agreed that the two countries will seek ways at the U.N. Security Council to cope with the North's rocket launch.
Kim, Yang and Gemba are scheduled to hold three-way talks on Sunday that are expected to focus on the North's rocket launch, a free trade agreement between the countries and other issues of cooperation.