South Korea and China have agreed to try to dissuade North Korea from conducting any nuclear test which could "lead to a serious situation," a top presidential security adviser said Friday.
"South Korea and China shared the view that a North Korean nuclear test should not take place," Song Min-soon, President Roh Moo-hyun's chief security adviser, told reporters here upon returning from Beijing.
The two countries will continue to cooperate in an effort to prevent such a situation, he said.
During his two-day stay in Beijing, Song met with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and other top officials to discuss the North Korean missile and nuclear issues.
Song said he had a broad discussion with Lee regarding Korean Peninsula issues, especially the dispute over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons ambitions, and how to work closely to find a settlement.
He made the trip amid growing concerns the communist state may be preparing its first test of an atomic bomb.
When asked whether he requested China to pressure North Korea not to conduct any nuclear test, Song said, "This is not a matter of pressure but cooperation."
North Korea has claimed it has nuclear weapons, but it is not known if the isolated country has performed any tests to confirm its claims. Many experts believe the North has enough radioactive material to build at least half a dozen nuclear weapons.
Concerns about a possible test flared after the U.S. TV network ABC reported last week that U.S. intelligence has detected "suspicious" movements at alleged underground nuclear test sites in North Korea, hinting that it may be preparing to conduct an underground test of a nuclear bomb.
The United States, China, Japan, Russia and the two Koreas had their last talks on the North's nuclear weapons program in November, and Pyongyang is now boycotting the talks to protest Washington's crackdown on the communist nation's alleged financial crimes including the counterfeiting of U.S. dollars.
As for ways to resume the negotiations, Song said the participating countries will continue to make efforts "to open wider the door for resolving the issue" through various diplomatic contacts.
Incheon, Aug. 25 (Yonhap News)
S. Korea, China agree on efforts to prevent N.K. nuclear test |
