China, Russia offer support for summits with North Korea

National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong returned to South Korea on Thursday after visiting China and Russia so as to gain mutual assistance for the inter-Korean and North Korea-U.S summits.

“The leaders of the two countries – China and Russia – all welcomed the positive development of the situation within the Korean Peninsula as well as the atmosphere of reconciliation between the two Koreas,” said Chung. “China and Russia highly appreciated the efforts of President Moon Jae-in, who consistently adhered to his principle that the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula needs to be solved in a peaceful way, and said they would continue to support President Moon.”

“The upcoming inter-Korean summit needs to receive support from not just neighboring countries but also from the international society,” said President Moon, after Chung’s briefing on the results for visiting China and Russia. “As inter-Korean summit and North Korea-U.S. summit are being held, we shouldn’t make any mistake in preparing for the summits.”

In relation to this, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi, who is in charge of diplomatic affairs, will be visiting South Korea Tuesday for a senior-level security strategy talk. He will meet with Chung to discuss current affairs including denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.


Sang-Jun Han alwaysj@donga.com · Na-Ri Shin journari@donga.com