China should step up on North Korea
Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk speaks during an interview with The Korea Times in his office at the Ministry of National Defense, Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense
Vice defense minister calls for Beijing’s greater role in resolving tensions
By Jun Ji-hye
China should play a greater role in stopping North Korea from repeating its nuclear and missile tests, according to South Korea’s Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk.
Suh called for Beijing to cooperate with the international community more actively for additional, harsher sanctions on the North that conducted its sixth nuclear test Sunday in defiance of previous U.N. Security Council resolutions.
“North Korea continues its strategic provocations despite sanctions and pressure. It has conducted six nuclear tests so far, and this year alone it has launched ballistic missiles 13 times,” Suh said during an interview with The Korea Times, Tuesday.
“It is important for the international community to cooperate to prevent additional provocations, and I think China, which has a special relationship with North Korea, can play a key role.”
Suh said there is great possibility for the international community to begin discussions in earnest to cut off oil supplies to the North as part of new sanctions.
“I expect China to cooperate in these discussions,” he said.
Oil supplies are regarded as a “lifeline” for Pyongyang. Cutting them off would bring sanctions against the Kim Jong-un regime to their maximum level.
China is the North’s last major ally and a major source of food and crude oil for the impoverished state.
The interview was held on the occasion of the Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD), a Seoul-hosted annual multilateral dialogue of vice minister-level defense officials and security experts. The forum began Wednesday for a three-day run at the Westin Chosun Hotel in central Seoul.
Suh expressed regret over China’s absence from the SDD for the second year in a row although the country’s participation is “very important to resolve various challenging issues” facing the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia.
A Chinese government representative had participated in the defense forum from 2012 to 2015, but was not present last year in an apparent protest of Seoul’s decision to host a U.S. anti-missile Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery.
Beijing did not reply to this year’s invitation from South Korea, either.
China has been strongly protesting the decision to station THAAD in South Korea, claiming the system’s radar could be used to spy on its military activities, although Seoul and Washington have insisted the battery is only designed to deter the North’s growing nuclear and missile threats.
“China’s absence from the SDD is apparently because of the THAAD issue, but I believe China should attend the forum and hold dialogue with South Korean defense officials about concerns of each country,” Suh said. “It is important to find a solution through candid conversation, rather than exchanging barbs through the media.”
The vice defense minister said Seoul will keep asking China to attend the SDD.
He said the ministry also plans to push for North Korea’s participation in the SDD at an opportune time, stressing that Pyongyang should express its position honestly on the international stage and seek solutions with other countries through dialogue.
“In July, we suggested holding military talks between the two Koreas, but the North has not yet accepted the offer,” Suh said. “We plan to invite the North to the SDD at a proper time, and I hope the SDD will be able to contribute to promoting conversations between North Korea and the international community.”
This year marks the sixth time the SDD has been held.
The topic for SDD 2017, in which 38 countries and four international organizations participate, is “Visions for Security Cooperation in an Age of Uncertainty.”
On the sidelines of the forum, Wednesday, Suh attended a meeting with vice defense ministers from ASEAN member countries, during which they vowed to contribute to establishing peace and stability in the region.
ASEAN refers to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, comprised of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.
During the forum, there will be four plenary sessions on issues including the North Korean nuclear program, maritime disputes, cyber security and international cooperation in counter-terrorism. The two special sessions will deal with issues related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and defense technologies, and a paradigm shift to future warfare.