Hong Kong. May 7. INTERFAX - South Korean President-elect Yun Seok-yel said on Saturday that he did not object to a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but the talks should lead to concrete results, Yonhap news agency reported.
"There is no reason to avoid meetings with Kim Jong-un. However, if such meetings are only for appearances and cannot lead to tangible results in the field of denuclearization and our economic assistance to the North, they will not serve the goals of denuclearization of the North and the development of inter-Korean relations," Yun Seok-yel said.
He noted that the conditions for a possible summit of South Korea and the DPRK will be worked out by the parties during consultations at the working level.
He also stated the need to develop inter-Korean ties in the fields of culture and sports. However, at the same time, Yun Seok-yel stressed the importance for South Korea to strengthen its means of defense against North Korean missiles.
In addition, Yun Seok-yel touched on the topic of the summit with US President Joe Biden on May 21 in Seoul. The President-elect of South Korea noted that South Korea's cooperation with the "Quadrilateral Security Dialogue" (QUAD) consisting of the United States, Australia, India and Japan is on the agenda of the summit. Yun Seok-yeol noted that he would react positively if South Korea was invited to join the QUAD.
He recalled that South Korea and the United States have been in the alliance for 69 years, but now it is time to expand cooperation from the military sphere to the economy, technology, healthcare, ecology.
Yonhap notes that Yoon Seok-yel is due to take the oath of office as president of South Korea on Tuesday. Meanwhile, earlier on Saturday, the DPRK conducted a missile launch. According to preliminary data from the South Korean military, North Korea has tested a ballistic missile launched from a submarine. The launch took place in waters near the North Korean city of Sinpo on the coast of the Sea of Japan.
