PRESS RELEASE
Chinese Envoy in South Korea Says Sanctions Against North Korea Aren’t Enough
April 12, 2017 (EIRNS)—China’s Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs Wu Dawei has been on a four-day visit to South Korea. High on the agenda of his meetings was the matter of North Korea and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Wu met with South Korea’s chief nuclear envoy, Kim Hongkyun, but gave no statements to the media. Kim said that during his discussions, Wu had repeated his country’s opposition to the U.S. deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery. Kim said there was no mention of any military option in his talks with Wu. The two also did not discuss any possible strike against the North by the Trump administration, he said.
"Both sides agreed that despite the international community’s warnings, if North Korea makes strategic provocations such as a nuclear test or an ICBM launch, there should be strong additional measures in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions,"
Kim said. He continued, that the two sides agreed that "an even stronger UN resolution" will have to be adopted in the event of additional weapons test by North Korea. Wu did not speak to reporters.
China’s Global Times daily reports that Wu urged South Korea to help resume talks, because only multilateral dialogue will prevent North Korea from developing nuclear weapons. Wu also said sanctions against North Korea are not enough to make a breakthrough in denuclearization efforts.
Wu also met with South Korean presidential candidates, including Song Young-gil, the campaign manager of Minjoo Party presidential candidate Moon Jae-in, and Park Jie-won, the chairman of the centrist People’s Party, whose presidential candidate is former software tycoon Ahn Cheol-soo. He will also meet the presidential candidate of the conservative Bareun Party, Yoo Seung-mi, and Liberty Korea Party candidate Hong Joon-pyo.
