China took a resolute stance against North Korea's nuclear test at annual military talks with South Korea saying it is ready to join a UN Security Council debate on imposing tougher sanctions against Pyongyang, military officials in Seoul said.
South Korean defense ministry officials, however, remained cautious, citing a traditional alliance between China and North Korea. Beijing, a key ally of Pyongyang, has been reluctant to discuss any UN sanctions against Pyongyang.
"They did not say clearly that Beijing supports UN sanctions against Pyongyang," a ministry official told Aju News.
South Korean officials believe China's role is crucial in ensuring the effectiveness of slapping sanctions against North Korea. On Wednesday South Korean President Park Geun-Hye urged China to take "necessary" actions in punishing North Korea for violating US resolutions with its fourth nuclear test on January 6.
The meeting in Seoul involved Rear Adm. Guan Youfei, foreign affairs office director at China's defense ministry, and Yoon Soon-Ku, the South Korean defense ministry's director general for international policy.
Charles Lim
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
![[OPINION] North Koreas provocations highlight South Koreas success](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2024/01/10/20240110171737102169.jpg)
![[OPINION] Could North Korea launch a Hamas-like attack?](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2023/10/20/20231020155720666173.png)
![[COLUMN] Can North Korea give us a reason to live?](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2023/09/12/20230912172249735183.jpeg)