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SEOUL—Soon after North Korea detonated a nuclear bomb last week, South Korea’s defense minister sought an emergency call with his Chinese counterpart.
A hotline had recently been created as part of an array of new agreements by Seoul and Beijing to increase their links. But the call request received no response, a South Korean official said.
On Wednesday, South Korean President Park Geun-hye gave another indication that her gambit of forging closer links with China to rein in Pyongyang continues to face tests, calling publicly for Beijing to take strong punitive action against its volatile neighbor. “The best partners are those who will hold your hand in difficult times,” Ms. Park said in a speech.
Her appeal to China came on a day of low-level confrontation between the two Koreas. Seoul’s military said a small flying object, likely a drone, traveled a few meters over the border from North Korea Wednesday afternoon but turned back after warning shots were fired at it. The two sides continued to blast propaganda messages at each other through speaker systems at their border.
South Korea, like many other countries, sees China as a pivotal figure in blunting North Korea’s military adventurism. Beijing supplies almost all of Pyongyang’s oil and has close trade and military links with the impoverished state. (China’s foreign and defense ministries didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on the hotline call.)
Eyeing that leverage, Ms. Park made a strategic bet soon after taking office in 2013 to foster close ties with Beijing. She has met with Chinese President Xi Jinping six times, most recently as the only leader of a U.S. ally to attend a Chinese military parade in September. The two nations have pledged wide-ranging cooperation in areas from economic deals to cultural exchanges.
That approach is now under scrutiny as Ms. Park seeks strong penalties against North Korea.
“Ms. Park’s focus on bolstering diplomatic ties with China ended up making her other allies suspicious of Seoul’s intentions. Now, Seoul suddenly finds itself in a position where it must change its entire diplomatic approach,” South Korea’s biggest circulation newspaper, Chosun Ilbo, wrote in an editorial.
In her televised speech on Wednesday, Ms. Park said China should prove its resolve not to tolerate nuclear proliferation. Inaction would lead to further nuclear tests by North Korea, undermining peace and stability in the region, she said.
“I do believe China will play a necessary role as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council,” Ms. Park said.
A hotline had recently been created as part of an array of new agreements by Seoul and Beijing to increase their links. But the call request received no response, a South Korean official said.
On Wednesday, South Korean President Park Geun-hye gave another indication that her gambit of forging closer links with China to rein in Pyongyang continues to face tests, calling publicly for Beijing to take strong punitive action against its volatile neighbor. “The best partners are those who will hold your hand in difficult times,” Ms. Park said in a speech.
Her appeal to China came on a day of low-level confrontation between the two Koreas. Seoul’s military said a small flying object, likely a drone, traveled a few meters over the border from North Korea Wednesday afternoon but turned back after warning shots were fired at it. The two sides continued to blast propaganda messages at each other through speaker systems at their border.
South Korea, like many other countries, sees China as a pivotal figure in blunting North Korea’s military adventurism. Beijing supplies almost all of Pyongyang’s oil and has close trade and military links with the impoverished state. (China’s foreign and defense ministries didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on the hotline call.)
Eyeing that leverage, Ms. Park made a strategic bet soon after taking office in 2013 to foster close ties with Beijing. She has met with Chinese President Xi Jinping six times, most recently as the only leader of a U.S. ally to attend a Chinese military parade in September. The two nations have pledged wide-ranging cooperation in areas from economic deals to cultural exchanges.
That approach is now under scrutiny as Ms. Park seeks strong penalties against North Korea.
“Ms. Park’s focus on bolstering diplomatic ties with China ended up making her other allies suspicious of Seoul’s intentions. Now, Seoul suddenly finds itself in a position where it must change its entire diplomatic approach,” South Korea’s biggest circulation newspaper, Chosun Ilbo, wrote in an editorial.
In her televised speech on Wednesday, Ms. Park said China should prove its resolve not to tolerate nuclear proliferation. Inaction would lead to further nuclear tests by North Korea, undermining peace and stability in the region, she said.
“I do believe China will play a necessary role as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council,” Ms. Park said.