Xi's visit to N.K. shows leader Kim willing to stay at negotiating table: Seoul ministry
SEOUL, June 19 (Yonhap) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's planned visit to North Korea indicates North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's willingness to "stay within the framework of dialogue" for denuclearization, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday.
Beijing and Pyongyang announced Monday that Xi will make a state visit to the communist neighbor on Thursday and Friday. The visit, Xi's first as president, comes at a time when denuclearization talks between the United States and the North have been stalled since their Hanoi summit in February produced no deal.
The foreign ministry said the Pyongyang-Beijing summit "demonstrates that the peace process for the Korean Peninsula is continuing in a negotiation-based structure."
"It means that Chairman Kim is willing to continue to stay within the framework of dialogue," the ministry said in a message to reporters.
The ministry also expressed hopes that Xi's visit will "contribute to achieving the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and permanent peace in the region."
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)
-
U.S. Forces Korea holds first deployment training of THAAD 'remote' launcher -
(LEAD) N. Korea tests 'underwater nuclear attack drone,' cruise missiles for nuclear warhead: KCNA -
(LEAD) Yoon vows to make N. Korea pay for reckless provocations -
(LEAD) U.S. Forces Korea holds first deployment training of THAAD 'remote' launcher -
(3rd LD) S. Korea to seek extradition of crypto fugitive Kwon from Montenegro
-
Five years after its full nuke armament claim, N. Korea's threat becomes real, further complicated -
(News Focus) S. Korea grapples with calls for nuclear armament -
Talk of 'normalizing' GSOMIA raises hope, skepticism around Seoul-Tokyo ties -
S. Korea, U.S., Japan close ranks amid growing N.K. threats -
N. Korea says month-old virus crisis under control, but skepticism lingers
