S. Korea, China, Japan should unite to deter nuclear N. Korea: Seoul official

SEOUL, April 15 (Yonhap) -- Close cooperation among South Korea, China and Japan is crucial for resolving North Korea's nuclear crisis, Seoul's senior presidential secretary said Tuesday, vowing efforts to improve ties with the neighbors. The six-party talks on ending North Korea's nuclear program -- involving the Koreas, the United States, Japan, China and Russia -- has been dormant since late 2008, with Pyongyang recently threatening a "new form" of nuclear test. "(Countries) in Northeast Asia need to cooperate further, especially to settle North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Without resolving the problem, the establishment of peace in the region will be elusive," said Seoul's senior presidential foreign affairs secretary Ju Chul-ki. He made the remarks at a forum in Seoul hosted by the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat that aims to promote ties among Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo. Stressing once again that the reunification of the Korean Peninsula "will bring huge benefits not only to the two Koreas but also to the whole Asian region," he said the peaceful unity will "maximize the effects" of envisioned projects linking Northeast Asia to Eurasia. "Just as an old French proverb that adversity is the touchstone of friendship, the trilateral cooperation can be achieved after we overcome a slew of difficulties ... But I believe that South Korea, China and Japan will be able to draw plausible outcomes in seeking joint goals," the secretary said. Noting that the trilateral relations "will even affect the whole picture of the world," Ju vowed Seoul will work to promote the cooperative mechanism of the region. South Korea, China and Japan are key trade partners for each other, but their political relations have often frayed over their shared history, which includes imperial Japan's aggression against the other nations in the early 20th century as well as territorial rows. After years of consultations, the three formed the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat in 2011, displaying their commitment to improve relations and bolster exchanges in a region often unsettled by such historical and territorial spats. graceoh@yna.co.kr (END)