(2nd LD) FM Cho urges China to play 'constructive role' in bringing N. Korea back to dialogue

Detailed summary

SEOUL, Nov. 14 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has called on China to play...

(ATTN: REWRITES throughout with ministry's press release; ADDS details; RESTRUCTURES; CHANGES dateline)By Oh Seok-min

SEOUL, Nov. 14 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has called on China to play a constructive role in resolving Korean Peninsula issues, including efforts to bring North Korea back to dialogue, during talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

The ministerial talks took place in Beijing, where Cho and Wang discussed bilateral relations and exchanged views on issues related to the Korean Peninsula and other regional affairs, according to a ministry press release issued late Friday.

During the meeting, Cho stressed that peace and stability on the peninsula serve the shared interests of South Korea and China, and explained the Seoul government's efforts to achieve denuclearization and peace on the peninsula.

"Cho also called on China to play a constructive role in addressing Korean Peninsula issues, including bringing North Korea back to dialogue," the ministry said.

Wang said China's policy on the Korean Peninsula remains unchanged and reaffirmed Beijing's commitment to continuing to play a constructive role in promoting peace and stability on the peninsula.

Friday's talks marked the first meeting between the two foreign ministers in about three months, following Wang's visit to Seoul in August.

The talks came amid deepening ties between China and North Korea and a series of high-level exchanges between the two sides.

Inter-Korean relations, however, remain stalled. Pyongyang defines ties with Seoul as those between two hostile states and has rejected the Lee Jae Myung administration's calls for dialogue.

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