South Korea requests China to play role in efforts against North Korean provocations: ministry

Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong, right, shakes hands with top China's top envoy Xing Haiming during their meeting in Seoul, June 2. Courtesy of Foreign Minister

Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong met with the top Chinese envoy here Thursday and asked for Beijing to play a role in trying to coax Pyongyang into discontinuing its provocations and returning to talks, his ministry said.

Cho and Ambassador Xing Haiming agreed that their governments have been maintaining "smooth communication" since the launch of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.

In particular, Cho expressed deep regret that the North has been undermining regional stability with ballistic missile launches and requested China's proactive role in efforts to make the recalcitrant regime change tack, according to the ministry.

He also proposed close Seoul-Beijing cooperation on the basis of the "spirit of mutual respect and cooperation."

The envoy shared the same view on the importance of stability in regional security and the need for the further development of relations between Seoul and Beijing, which mark the 30th anniversary this year of establishing bilateral diplomatic ties, the ministry added.

Their meeting came amid growing concern about the future of relations between the neighboring countries, with the conservative Yoon administration having made clear that it will place top diplomatic policy priority on deepening and expanding the country's alliance with the United States. (Yonhap)