U.S. nuclear envoy stresses concerns about N.K-Russia ties during talks with Chinese counterpart

The top U.S. nuclear envoy for North Korea reiterated concerns over growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia during talks with her Chinese counterpart in Tokyo on Thursday, the State Department said. U.S. Senior Official for North Korea Jung Pak held the talks with Liu Xiaoming, China's special representative on Korean Peninsula affairs, amid deepening worries about implications of military ties between Pyongyang and Moscow for security on the peninsula and beyond. "She stressed concerns regarding deepening military cooperation between the DPRK and Russia, including unlawful arms transfers," the department said in a media note, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Pak also pointed out the potential negative impact of the recent expiration of a U.N. expert panel monitoring the enforcement of anti-North Korea sanctions. The expiration was caused by Russia's veto late March of a resolution for an annual renewal of the panel's mandate. "( Pak) noted that Russia's veto of a U.N. Security Council resolution to extend the mandate of the U.N. 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee's Panel of Experts will hamper the efforts of the international community to ensure implementation of previous U.N. Security Council resolutions," the department said. Pak reiterated the continued threats to regional and global security that are posed by the North's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, as well as its "provocative and irresponsible" rhetoric toward its neighbors, according to the department. But she highlighted America's commitment to diplomacy with Pyongyang. "Senior Official Pak emphasized U.S. commitment to dialogue and diplomacy with the DPRK as the only viable means of achieving lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula," it said. She expressed Washington's concerns over the forcible repatriation of North Koreans, including asylum seekers, to North Korea, and called on Beijing to uphold its non-refoulement obligations. Her talks with Liu followed Secretar y of State Antony Blinken's trip to China last month, where he underscored the U.S.' commitment to the "complete" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Source: Yonhap News Agency