South Korea’s Lee urges China to freeze North’s ballistic missiles

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during his China visit met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for talks and deepened cooperation between the two states. Lee said on Wednesday that he urged Xi to help him curb the activities of North Korea and its recent nuclear programme.  

He suggested a freeze in the development of their missiles and weapons of “mass destruction” was feasible with the right steps.  

Signed nine cooperation agreements 

Lee’s China visit is marked as the first ever visit since he took charge in June where the Chinese and South Korean companies signed nine cooperation agreements during the meeting of respective leaders on Monday.  

North Korea on Sunday launched two ballistic missiles into the sea of Japan which created a tense situation for the South Korean leader.  

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.

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Mediate relations 

He told Xi he would “like China to play a mediating role on issues related to the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea’s nuclear programme, as reported by AFP.  

“All our channels are completely blocked,” he said.

“We hope China can serve as a mediator — a mediator for peace,” he added.

Xi asked to show patience 

Xi in response urged Lee to show patience with the Pyongyang issue. Lee highlighted how frayed ties between the two Koreas have become

“And they’re right. For quite a long period, we carried out military actions that North Korea would have perceived as threatening,” Lee said.

“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.

“In the long term, we must not give up the goal of a nuclear‑free Korean Peninsula,” he added.

North Korea has repeatedly declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear stat and relations between the two Koreas have fallen to their worst levels in years.

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Lee’s predecessor, ousted last year for a failed bid to suspend civilian rule, stands accused of having tried to provoke Pyongyang as a pretext for declaring military rule.

On Monday, Pyongyang said its nuclear forces were ready for war and that it was keeping a close eye on recent “geopolitical crisis” in a clear nod to this weekend’s US attack on Venezuela.