South Korea: Unification Ministry hopes Kim’s Dandong trip revives dialogue

Seoul, Oct 26 (IANS) South Korea’s Unification Ministry said on Monday it hopes North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s one-day trip to the Chinese border city of Dandong last week will lead to the resumption of dialogue with neighbouring nations.

Kim made a surprise visit to Dandong on Saturday, where he met with Wang Huning, China’s fourth-highest-ranking official, as North Korea and China are seeking to deepen their traditional ties.

“We hope the visit will contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and lead to the resumption of dialogue with neighbouring countries,” Yoon Min-ho, the ministry’s spokesperson, said at a regular briefing.

Responding to speculation that Kim’s trip could be linked to a potential summit with US President Donald Trump, Yoon said the government was “watching closely” and would do what it could in the event of such a meeting, reports Yonhap news agency.

On Kim’s visit to a bus factory in Dandong, he said the ministry would watch developments without drawing conclusions, since North Korea had not specified the purpose of the visit.

The factory stop was seen as a sign that Pyongyang wants to expand cooperation with China in transportation and trade. The export of transportation vehicles to North Korea violates UN sanctions.

Yoon described Pyongyang’s sending of a letter to the UN Security Council as a “countermeasure” to Seoul’s letter last week over the September 21 mine blast in the Demilitarised Zone, seeking North Korea’s accountability for planting mines and injuring three South Korean soldiers, two of them seriously.

“The letter reaffirms North Korea’s position (on the matter) and appears to justify its border fortification work,” Yoon said.

The ministry is consulting with other relevant ministries on measures in response to the incident, he said.

–IANS

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