By Choi Ha-young
A group of lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties arrived in Beijing, Thursday, for talks with Chinese officials on finding solutions to the North Korea nuclear issue and revitalizing Seoul-Beijing relations.
Rep. Chung Dong-young of the People's Party, who served as a unification minister from 2004 to 2006, will lead the group that includes Reps. Lee Seok-hyun and Kim Du-kwan of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea; Na Kyung-won of the Liberty Korea Party; Cho Bae-sook of the People's Party; and Choung Byoung-gug of the Bareun Party.
"We will exchange ideas with Chinese government officials to generate a diplomatic solution for the North Korean nuclear issue and will urge the government's overall cooperation to revive the bilateral relationship with China," Chung said in a press statement, Wednesday.
The visit came two days after the two countries agreed to revitalize their relations frayed by the deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here. South Korea said that no additional THAAD batteries would be deployed while stating the existing battery will not harm China's national security.
Both parties are now coordinating a summit between President Moon Jae-in and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping within this year, South Korean Ambassador to China, Noh Young-min, said in a radio interview Thursday. South Korean companies operating in China, which suffered from economic retaliation, are likely to get back on track.
As a follow-up measure, the bipartisan envoys will have talks with Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui and Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress Chairwoman Fu Ying. They are also planning to attend a luncheon organized by Tang Jiaxuan, a former vice foreign minister.
One day earlier, Rep. Chung headed for Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, to participate in a seminar related to China's worldwide infrastructure initiative, the "One Belt One Road."
"I invite Chinese athletes to come to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in Korea via the railroad connected by the One Belt One Road project," Chung said at the event Wednesday. "President Xi's One Belt One Road project reaching out to faraway London should be connected to Manchuria, Pyongyang, Seoul and the southern cities of Mokpo and Busan."
"If Pyongyang rejects the idea, let the train move through other ways. In the end, it will influence North Korea to open its doors," the lawmaker noted.
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| Rep. Chung Dong-young |
Rep. Chung Dong-young of the People's Party, who served as a unification minister from 2004 to 2006, will lead the group that includes Reps. Lee Seok-hyun and Kim Du-kwan of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea; Na Kyung-won of the Liberty Korea Party; Cho Bae-sook of the People's Party; and Choung Byoung-gug of the Bareun Party.
"We will exchange ideas with Chinese government officials to generate a diplomatic solution for the North Korean nuclear issue and will urge the government's overall cooperation to revive the bilateral relationship with China," Chung said in a press statement, Wednesday.
The visit came two days after the two countries agreed to revitalize their relations frayed by the deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here. South Korea said that no additional THAAD batteries would be deployed while stating the existing battery will not harm China's national security.
Both parties are now coordinating a summit between President Moon Jae-in and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping within this year, South Korean Ambassador to China, Noh Young-min, said in a radio interview Thursday. South Korean companies operating in China, which suffered from economic retaliation, are likely to get back on track.
As a follow-up measure, the bipartisan envoys will have talks with Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui and Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress Chairwoman Fu Ying. They are also planning to attend a luncheon organized by Tang Jiaxuan, a former vice foreign minister.
One day earlier, Rep. Chung headed for Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, to participate in a seminar related to China's worldwide infrastructure initiative, the "One Belt One Road."
"I invite Chinese athletes to come to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in Korea via the railroad connected by the One Belt One Road project," Chung said at the event Wednesday. "President Xi's One Belt One Road project reaching out to faraway London should be connected to Manchuria, Pyongyang, Seoul and the southern cities of Mokpo and Busan."
"If Pyongyang rejects the idea, let the train move through other ways. In the end, it will influence North Korea to open its doors," the lawmaker noted.
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