Yoon asks China to play ‘constructive role’ in N. Korean provocation

Nov 18, 2024, 10:25 am

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President Yoon Suk-yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders participate in a family photo during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Retreat summit in Lima, Peru, on Nov. 16, 2024./ Source: Yonhap News

AsiaToday reporter Hong Sun-mi

President Yoon Suk-yeol flew to Brazil on Sunday to attend the G20 summit after wrapping up the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Peru.

Yoon sought to strengthen practical cooperation with the U.S., Japan and China through the Korea-US-Japan, Korea-U.S., Korea-Japan, and Korea-China summits held on the sidelines of the APEC.

During the trilateral summit with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, which was held for the first time in 15 months since the Camp David summit in August last year, Yoon reaffirmed strong cooperation among the three countries. In a joint statement, the three leaders strongly condemned the illegal military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, and agreed to form a secretariat to help advance their trilateral cooperation.

The leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in accordance with the UN Security Council resolution.

At a meeting with Xi, Yoon requested China’s constructive role in resolving the Russia-North Korea military cooperation issue. In response, Xi said China does not want escalating tension on the Korean Peninsula, expressing hope for the parties involved to pursue a peaceful resolution through dialogue and negotiations for a political solution.

In his second summit with Ishiba, Yoon reaffirmed the two countries’ commitment to cooperation, which is more important than ever.

Yoon also held talks with the leaders of Canada, Vietnam, Brunei, and Peru. In the South Korea-Peru summit, the two countries agreed to strengthen cooperation in all areas, including defense and security such as joint submarine development, as well as the supply chain of key minerals.

The leaders of the 21 APEC member economies concluded their meeting by issuing the 2024 APEC Leaders’ Declaration.

#APEC #Yoon Suk-yeol