S. Korea presses China to play 'important role' in imposing sanctions against N. Korea

BEIJING, Jan. 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's chief nuclear envoy pressed China on Thursday to play a "more important role" in imposing tougher sanctions against North Korea following its latest nuclear test, saying Pyongyang should pay a "significant price" for the act. Hwang Joon-kook, Seoul's chief envoy on North Korea's nuclear issue, made the remarks upon his arrival at the Beijing airport, ahead of talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wu Dawei, later in the day. China, a key ally of North Korea, has expressed public displeasure over the North's nuclear program for years but is again reluctant to join the international community in slapping tougher sanctions on Pyongyang. "About 90 percent of North Korea's trade relies on China," Hwang said. "I think that China could and should play a more important role." The six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear program, which involve South Korea, North Korea, the United States, China, Russia and Japan, have been stalled since late 2008. North Korea announced on Jan. 6 that it successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb that marked the North's fourth nuclear test since 2006. On Wednesday, South Korean President Park Geun-hye called on China to take "necessary" actions in punishing North Korea for its latest nuclear test with the strongest international sanctions. Hwang and his counterparts from the U.S. and Japan held three-way talks in Seoul on Wednesday, and they agreed on new "meaningful" sanctions on North Korea that should be approved by the U.N. Security Council. "Under the current situation where North Korea conducted a nuclear test, the five nations, including China, must ensure cooperation and coordination to make North Korea pay a significant price," Hwang said. The role of China, which keeps North Korea's moribund economy afloat, is important in ensuring the effectiveness of tougher sanctions against the isolated North. However, many analysts believe that China's Communist Party leadership won't exert enough leverage on North Korea because a sudden collapse of the North's regime could threaten China's own security interests. The one-day talks between Hwang and Wu started on Thursday afternoon, said a South Korean diplomat who attended the meeting. When asked about the prospects of the Thursday talks, Hwang replied, "We will have to see what the outcome is." China's foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei, however, stressed the importance of resuming nuclear talks with North Korea. Asked about the remarks by Hwang that China must play a "more important role" in imposing tougher sanctions against North Korea, Hong replied, "Under the current circumstances, it is imperative that all parties should make joint efforts to restart the six-party talks and bring the Korean nuclear issue back to the negotiations." "We hope that the meeting will play an important role in promoting the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and safeguarding peace and stability of Northeast Asia," Hong said. kdh@yna.co.kr (END)