S. Korea's new top nuclear envoy holds phones talks with Chinese counterpart

SEOUL, Dec. 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new chief nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, spoke by phone with his Chinese counterpart on Tuesday in their first talks since his appointment last week, the foreign ministry said.

His talks with Wu Jianghao came as Seoul seeks to ensure international support for its ongoing efforts to resume dialogue with North Korea that has been stalled amid a deadlock in nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang.

"The two sides shared their assessments of the recent situation on the Korean Peninsula and exchanged opinions on ways to cooperate in stably managing the situation and making progress on the Korean Peninsula peace process," the ministry said in a press release.

Noh asked for China to play a role in the resumption of talks with the North, while Wu reaffirmed Beijing's willingness to cooperate.

The two sides agreed to continue consultations on North Korea-related issues through various methods, including a face-to-face meeting at an early date, the ministry said.

Last week, Noh also held phone talks with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Stephen Biegun and Takehiro Funakoshi.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)