Int'l community closely watching possible meeting between N.K. leader, Chinese envoy

SEOUL, Nov. 19 (Yonhap) -- The international community is closely monitoring the possible meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and a special Chinese envoy, currently in Pyongyang, diplomatic observers said Sunday.

Song Tao, the special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping, is visiting the isolated nation to inform Pyongyang of the outcome of the Communist Party of China's recent party congress. At the congress, Xi secured a second five-year term as head of the country's ruling party.

The North's ruling party newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, reported Sunday that the party hosted a banquet Saturday evening for the head of China's international liaison office. It, however, didn't elaborate on what was discussed over the dinner table or if he would be able to meet Kim.

The envoy is expected to return to China on Monday, so it is speculated that if he is ever going to meet Kim, it will most likely happen Sunday.

A meeting between the two, if it occurs can allow the two sides to discuss the current security situations of the Korean Peninsula where tensions have reached a new high in the wake of Pyongyang's repeated provocations. Also it would send out a positive signal that the leaders of the traditional allies are engaged in communication, albeit indirectly.

On Friday, Song met with Choe Ryong-hae, a high-ranking North Korean official, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). On the following day, he had talks with Ri Su-yong, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the North's ruling Workers' Party. They exchanged views about the situation on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, and bilateral relations, the KCNA said.

China's Global Times, meanwhile, called for caution in regards to high anticipation, saying that whether North Korea's nuclear issue can be resolved depends on Washington's and Pyongyang's political resolve.

"Song is not a magician. The key to easing the situation on the peninsula lies in the hands of Washington and Pyongyang," the newspaper said in an editorial. "If both sides insist on their own logic and refuse to move in the same direction, even if Song opens a door for talks, the door could be closed at anytime."
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