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South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol urged China on Tuesday to help dissuade North Korea from developing nuclear weapons and missiles. In an interview with Reuters news agency, he also warned of an “unprecedented” joint response with allies if the country carries out a nuclear test.
Yoon urged Beijing, Pyongyang’s closest ally, to fulfill its responsibilities as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, saying failure to do so would lead to an influx of military assets into the region.
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“China has the ability to influence North Korea, and China has a responsibility to be involved in the process,” he said.
He further added that North Korea’s actions are leading to increased defense spending in countries in the region, including Japan, and a greater deployment of US planes and warships, so it would be in China’s best interest to make its “best efforts” to move North Koreans toward denuclearization.
However, if Pyongyang carries out a new nuclear test, Yoon said that the response “will be something that has never been seen before”, involving the United States, Japan and other allies. The South Korean president, however, declined to detail what that would mean.
“It would be extremely reckless for North Korea to conduct a seventh nuclear test,” he told Reuters.
This year, the North Korean regime has carried out a record number of missile tests, and this week leader Kim Jong-un recently said that his country aims to have the most powerful nuclear force in the world. US intelligence officials say Pyongyang may be preparing to resume nuclear weapons tests for the first time since 2017.
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US President Joe Biden also told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that Beijing had an obligation to try to dissuade North Korea from a nuclear test. Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said North Korea’s continued weapons development would lead to a greater US military presence in the region – something Beijing would not want to see.
South Korea and the United States made a deal to send more American “strategic assets” to the area, such as aircraft carriers and long-range bombers to the area, but Yoon said he did not expect changes to the 28,500 American troops based in Korea. southern.
“We must respond consistently and in tune with each other,” Yoon said, blaming the lack of consistency in the international response for the three-decade failure of North Korea’s policy.
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China fought on the North’s side in the 1950-53 Korean War and has supported the country economically and diplomatically ever since, but analysts say Beijing may have little desire to contain Pyongyang.
China claims to enforce the UN Security Council sanctions it voted for, but has called for them to be eased and, along with Russia, has blocked US-led attempts to impose new sanctions.
