South pressures North for concrete plan on nukes
BEIJING — South Korea urged North Korea on Wednesday to present a plan with concrete steps toward denuclearization, raising the pressure on its leader Kim Jong Un as he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a visit designed to convey the countries’ growing closeness.
Kim and Xi held a second day of talks at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, whose grounds China’s official Xinhua News Agency described in unusually lyrical terms as being full of “verdant greenery and splendid flowers,” adding to what the propaganda outlet said was the “close and friendly atmosphere” of the talks.
The pomp and circumstance looked geared toward showing off the major improvement in relations between the communist neighbors, along with China’s important role in keeping North Korea on track. But it cast no new light on the main question that hangs over the previously reclusive North Korean leader’s surge in diplomatic activity in recent months: What next steps, if any, will Kim take to dismantle his country’s nuclear program?
At his summit with President Trump last week in Singapore, Kim pledged to work toward denuclearization in exchange for U.S. security guarantees. The U.S. and South Korea also suspended a major joint military exercise that was planned for August in what was seen as a major victory for North Korea.
Chinese state media quoted Xi as hailing the warming friendship with Kim but included no mention of any specific discussions on making progress on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
In Seoul, South Korean President Moon Jae-in urged North Korea to present actionable plans on how it will scrap its nuclear program, and for the United States to swiftly take unspecified corresponding measures.