Unification minister to visit China next week

Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik will meet with China’s State Councilor Dai Bingguo and other high-ranking officials next week to seek their opinions on South Korea’s policy toward North Korea, the Unification Ministry said on Friday.

Other Chinese officials scheduled to meet with Yu include Tang Jiaxuan, former state councilor of China, Wang Jiarui, director of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.

Yu’s visit will take place from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23 but detailed schedules on when and where they will meet have not been confirmed, the ministry said.

“The minister’s visit is to promote China’s understanding about geopolitical issues on the Korean Peninsula and the inter-Korean relationship. It also aims to enhance the strategic partnership between South Korea and China,” the ministry’s spokesperson said.

“He will explain our government’s stance on inter-Korean dialogue and denuclearization, and seek China’s understanding and cooperation,” he said.

Yu will also meet with Koreans residing in China in the business sector.

South Korea has been more flexible toward North Korea recently, providing 1 million doses of hepatitis B vaccine for North Korean children on Tuesday.

By Kim Yoon-mi (yoonmi@heraldcorp.com)