Foreign ministers of S. Korea, China agree to continue cooperation on NK

The foreign ministers of South Korea and China met in New York Wednesday and agreed to continue cooperation over North Korea's denuclearization, a Seoul official said.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, held talks for 30 minutes on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, according to the South Korean foreign ministry official, who added that it was their first meeting since Wang visited Pyongyang in early September.

On that trip, Wang held talks with his North Korean counterpart, Ri Yong-ho, and other senior Pyongyang officials, spurring speculation of arrangements for another visit to China by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Wang shared the results of his trip with Kang, the official said, without elaborating.

The two noted the importance of making tangible progress in North Korea's denuclearization and the establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula through the early resumption of working-level denuclearization negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang.

They also agreed to continue bilateral cooperation toward achieving those goals, according to the official.

Meanwhile, on South Korea-China relations, the ministers noted the frequent and close communication between them and agreed to further develop bilateral ties.

On Thursday, Kang is scheduled to meet with her new Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, at the UN headquarters and address the bilateral tensions over trade and wartime history disputes. (Yonhap)