A senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that during the Korea-China foreign ministers' meeting held in Beijing, they received an explanation from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the recent exchanges between North Korea and China, including North Korea's State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un's visit to China last month.
This official met with reporters at the Korean Embassy in China on the 14th and said, "(At the meeting the previous day) I heard about Chairman Kim Jong-un's visit to Dandong, and I also heard about Workers' Party International Secretary Kim Sung-nam."
He explained, "(The Chinese side) basically said that the relationship between China and North Korea was focused on economic cooperation rather than political affairs, and I got that impression a lot," and "I was able to hear a relatively detailed description."
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi accompanied Chairman Kim during his visit to Dandong on the 24th of last month, and met with International Secretary Kim Sung-nam, who visited China, on the 5th of this month.
The day before, Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun exchanged opinions with Minister Wang on bilateral relations and Korean Peninsula issues at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China.
Minister Cho told reporters on this day, the day after the meeting, "Exchanges between North Korea and China have continued, and the possibility of a meeting between the United States, China, and Russia is increasing in the wake of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Also, although it is still only a possibility, a North Korea-US summit may be held, so I had in-depth discussions with Director Wang on Korean Peninsula issues, including these."
Minister Cho added, "I emphasized and explained that as we are directly involved in the peace on the Korean Peninsula, the Korean Peninsula issue is of vital interest, and I also pointed out to China that the stability of peace on the Korean Peninsula is in China's national interest," adding, "Director Wang also said he agrees with that point."
A senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that at the meeting the previous day, there was also an explanation from China about the possibility of a North Korea-US summit.
This official said, "(After the meeting), my impression is that there is a possibility, but the possibility is not that great. In the end, the situation in the United States and the will of U.S. President Donald Trump are the most important variables, and another variable is how much North Korea accepts this. Considering the situation, the possibility cannot be ruled out."
He added, “We told (the Chinese side) that we need to be prepared and ensure that our national interests are not harmed.”
A high-ranking official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed concerns that the US-China-Russia summit, which is being discussed as a possibility to be held during the current Shenzhen APEC summit, is reminiscent of the Yalta Conference (1945), where a small number of powers decided the international order while excluding interested parties.
This official said, "If there is a US-China-Russia meeting, it should not become a 'second Yalta meeting' and we have clearly stated our position not only to the US but also to China that our national interests cannot be damaged on the Korean Peninsula issue, and we made it fully clear yesterday as well."
The official then explained that China well understood the South Korean government's position that there should not be a situation where a decision is made that recognizes North Korea as a nuclear state or is contrary to the establishment of a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.
At the Korea-China meeting the previous day, there was also an exchange of opinions on issues between the two countries, such as Korea's anti-China sentiment and China's West Sea structure issue.
Minister Cho Hyun said, "We agreed to continue discussing issues of interest, such as China-Korea-China relations, and to prepare for the APEC summit to create changes that can be felt by the people of both countries in celebration of the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year."
