South Korea's top nuclear envoy said Friday that China has agreed to the need for a stronger UN Security Council resolution than existing ones in response to North Korea's fifth nuclear test.
The agreement was reached at a meeting held on Thursday in Beijing between Kim Hong-kyun, special representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs at South Korea's foreign ministry, and his Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei.
"(I) said that there are loopholes in existing UNSC resolutions that need to be filled and China agreed to the need for stronger sanctions," Kim told a group of reporters in Beijing.
"The loopholes that we are talking about are exemptions in areas related to people's livelihoods or the UNSC resolutions themselves that can be abused. They should be strongly covered," he added.
The two exchanged views on trade between China and North Korea including Beijing's imports of North Korean coal in view of sanctions. Kim said that the Chinese side made clear that its stance on existing UNSC resolutions remains unchanged and that it is faithfully enforcing those measures.
Asked whether both discussed a Chinese conglomerate suspected being involved in trade with Pyongyang of goods that can be used for military purposes, he said that China has confirmed that an investigation into any possible illegality is underway.
Kim also said that he brought up the possibility of three-party talks involving South Korea, China and the United States to deal with the North's nuclear threat, adding that there was no opposition from his Chinese counterpart. (Yonhap)
