FM: Inter-Korean talks do not run afoul of int'l sanctions on N. Korea

All News 17:01 January 17, 2018

VANCOUVER, Jan. 16 (Yonhap) -- The ongoing talks between South Korea and North Korea do not run counter to international economic sanctions imposed on the North, the top South Korean diplomat said Tuesday following a multilateral meeting focused on North Korea in Vancouver, Canada.

"Everyone is welcoming North Korea coming to the (PyeongChang) Olympics and Paralympics and appreciating the results of inter-Korean (high-level) talks on Jan. 9," Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said after the close of the meeting

Foreign ministers from 20 countries that have a high stake in North Korean nuclear affairs committed their support for inter-Korean dialogue at the meeting co-hosted by the United States and Canada. The countries also agreed to impose unilateral sanctions and diplomatic sanctions tighter than those imposed by United Nations Security Council resolutions.

"Given common aspirations for North Korea's participation in the PyeongChang (Olympics) and the successful hosting of it, I don't think the South-North Korea talks that we are doing for the North's Olympic participation run counter to sanctions that the international community is putting together," the foreign minister said.

The ultimate goal of current sanctions and pressure is to bring North Korea to the negotiating table, and ongoing inter-Korean talks are the result of sanctions imposed on the country, she said.

"The reason why the North has come to the inter-Korean talks is participation in the Olympics, but the ministers today agreed that the talks could lead to discussion on a peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue if this opportunity is handled well and sustained during the Olympics," Kang said.

"The current timing is of great importance," she added, noting that North Korea could regress to a non-dialogue mode after April when South Korea and the United States conduct delayed joint military exercises.

"So I plan to coordinate closely (with the U.S.) to create momentum for denuclearization talks with the North, which the U.S. wants, and work toward further talks that go beyond those on the PyeongChang (Olympics)." she said.

Commenting on Seoul-Tokyo relations, Kang said South Korea plans to prevent the two countries' cooperation on economic and other practical issues from being affected by the unresolved dispute over Japan's World War II sexual mobilization of Korean women.