UPDATE - North slams South Korea’s call for denuclearization of Peninsula

UPDATES WITH NORTH KOREA’S STATEMENT, LAUNCH OF ROCKET; CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - North Korea Monday blasted South for reiterating its commitment to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, saying such a goal has "already died out theoretically, practically, and physically."

Pyongyang’s reaction came after leaders of South Korea, Japan, and China at a summit in Seoul reiterated their national positions on the Korean Peninsula.

However, all three reaffirmed that maintaining peace, stability, and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in northeast Asia "serves our common interest and is our common responsibility."

Leaders of South Korea, Japan, and China Monday met for a trilateral summit in Seoul, for the first time since 2019, with calls for the need to uphold "inclusivity" and enhance "mutual respect and trust."

"We agree to continue to make positive efforts for the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue," said a joint statement by Yoon, Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

Li, however, did not directly address the issue of denuclearization of the peninsula but called on "relevant parties to exercise restraint to prevent further escalation," Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.

In 2019, when the last such summit was held in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu​​​​​​​, Beijing had aligned itself with Seoul and Tokyo for the denuclearization of the peninsula.

However, Pyongyang rejected Monday’s call: "It is a mockery of and trickery against the regional countries and the international community that the ROK is talking about 'denuclearization', 'peace and stability'," North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said.

At the summit, Chinese Premier Li stressed on "openness and inclusivity" to foster cooperation, besides calling for enhancing "mutual respect and trust" to promote "full resumption" of trilateral cooperation.

"We should resolve suspicions and misunderstandings through honest dialogue, uphold bilateral relations with a spirit of strategic autonomy, promote a multipolar world, and oppose bloc confrontation and factionalism," Li said.

On Sunday, Yoon held separate bilateral meetings with Li and Kishida.

The Seoul summit deliberated upon six specific areas, including economy and trade, sustainable development, health issues, science and technology, disaster and safety management, and people-to-people exchanges.

Kishida said Tokyo, Seoul, and Beijing "must aim at a future in which all nations enjoy peace, prosperity, and human dignity under a free and open international order based on the rule of law."

"We will advance our efforts to develop our trilateral cooperation in a manner that responds to the issues of the day," the Japanese prime minister said.

Meanwhile, Pyongyang Monday also rejected calls by South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to abandon its plans to launch a military satellite.

Pyongyang fired a rocket late Monday which failed and the wreckage was found in the Yellow Sea.