By Kim Bo-eun
Former envoys of South Korea and China to the six-party talks on North Korea’s denuclearization met in Beijing, Monday, to discuss the current process of Pyongyang’s denuclearization and the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Lee Do-hoon, representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, met with Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou to continue discussions after the top diplomats of the two countries met last week.
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha held bilateral talks with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Singapore last week.
The nuclear envoys are thought to have discussed a process to end the 1950-53 Korean War that was stopped by an armistice.
The South Korean government is seeking for the war to be ended within the year, as stated in the Panmunjeom Declaration reached at the inter-Korean summit in April.
The declaration states the Koreas and the U.S. would hold tripartite meetings or four-party talks including China with the aim of ending the war this year.
North Korea has been calling for the war to be ended, as an early stage measure in the denuclearization process to protect its regime from hostilities.
The U.S. has been holding back from making a declaration ending the war, claiming North Korea needs to take concrete denuclearization measures first. This has continued to stall the denuclearization talks.
China, meanwhile, is expected to take part in the process.
Extensive discussions took place with the U.S. and China on the subject, Kang said Sunday.
Meanwhile, Wang referred to the issue of ending the war as being relevant to the “flow of the era” and that it reflects the wishes of people of all states including South and North Korea, during a press briefing on the sidelines of the ARF, Thursday.
Wang also said a declaration ending the war would be a type of political statement that will play a positive and useful role in leading the denuclearization talks.