South Korea-China North Korea Nuclear Representatives Meet at Swiss International Conference... Exchange Views on Korean Peninsula Situation

Representatives from South Korea and China dealing with the North Korean nuclear issue held a meeting on the sidelines of an international conference held in Switzerland to exchange views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 2nd, Cho Gurae, Director of the Foreign Policy Strategy and Intelligence Bureau, attended the 11th Zermatt Roundtable held in Switzerland the previous day (local time) and met with Liu Xiaoming, China’s Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs. This was the first face-to-face meeting between the South Korean and Chinese chief representatives on the North Korean nuclear issue since Cho’s appointment in October last year.

In addition, Director Cho met with Alexandre Fasel, Swiss Deputy Foreign Minister, Peter Semneby, Swedish Special Envoy for the Korean Peninsula, and officials from the United States and Japan to exchange views on recent developments on the Korean Peninsula and future response measures.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that Director Cho emphasized in his keynote speech at the Zermatt meeting that the international community must maintain the goal of North Korea’s complete denuclearization and continue diplomatic efforts to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, explaining the efforts of the South Korean government toward this end.

Director Cho stated, "Denuclearizing North Korea cannot be achieved overnight, but the more complex the issue, the more important it is for the international community to pool wisdom and seek creative solutions," adding, "The international community must intensify efforts to suppress North Korea’s nuclear and missile advancements and provocations, and to halt illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea." He further added, "Our government will maintain the goal of North Korea’s complete denuclearization, respond to North Korean threats based on the ROK-US alliance and ROK-US-Japan cooperation, continue communication and cooperation with neighboring countries including China and Russia, and closely cooperate with the international community to ensure the faithful implementation of sanctions against North Korea."

Director Cho also emphasized that although North Korea advocates the 'hostile two-state theory,' the South Korean government remains open to dialogue and requested support and cooperation from the international community.

The Zermatt Roundtable, launched in 2012 as a half-government, half-civilian (1.5-track) consultative body, is held annually under the auspices of the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) to discuss global security and the situation in Northeast Asia.