Asia-Pacific

S Korea welcomes outcome of China-US summit

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-01-20 16:43

SEOUL - South Korea on Thursday welcomed the outcome of the summit meeting between the leaders of China and the United States, who expressed "concern" over the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s claimed uranium enrichment program.

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The South Korean government "positively evaluates" the summit held Wednesday in Washington, where Chinese President Hu Jintao and his US counterpart Barack Obama called for "sincere and constructive" inter-Korean dialogue and "concrete and effective steps" for the DPRK's denuclearization, foreign ministry spokesman Kim Young-sun told reporters.

Close cooperation between Seoul and Washington seems to have been "fully reflected" on the outcome of the China-US summit, the spokesman said, adding the sentiment expressed in the joint statement is "in line with the policy direction" Seoul has taken.

Hu and Obama voiced opposition in unison to "all activities inconsistent with" Pyongyang's pledged commitment to ending its nuclear program and urged "necessary steps" to reopen the stalled six-party nuclear disarmament talks in the near future.

"North Korea (DPRK) should take the concern and demand of the international community seriously and stop all nuclear activities immediately," Kim told reporters.

The summit came amid lingering cross-border tension between the two Koreas, following a series of military provocations.

Pyongyang recently claimed it has built a highly sophisticated facility to enrich uranium, raising security concern in the region, while expressing its willingness to return to the six-party talks it once boycotted.