South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday he had urged Chinese leader Xi Jinping to help him curb Pyongyang’s nuclear program and suggested a freeze in its development of weapons of mass destruction was “feasible” with the right conditions.
Speaking to journalists in Shanghai as he wrapped up the visit, he said he had urged Beijing’s help in bringing Pyongyang back to the negotiating table.
He told Xi he would “like China to play a mediating role on issues related to the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea’s nuclear program.”
“All our channels are completely blocked,” he said.
“We hope China can serve as a mediator — a mediator for peace,” he added.
The South Korean leader also laid out a plan whereby Pyongyang would freeze its nuclear program in exchange for “compensation”.
“Just stopping at the current level — no additional production of nuclear weapons, no transfer of nuclear materials abroad, and no further development of ICBMs — would already be a gain,” he said, referring to Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. (AFP)
