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South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se on Thursday warned the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) that if it conducts another nuclear test, it will pay an "unimaginable price."
Yun made the remarks to lawmakers at the National Assembly headquarters. He said the international community was united to induce Pyongyang to give up its nuclear program.
The biggest challenge facing the future of the Korean Peninsula was the DPRK's adherence to its nuclear weapons, the South Korean top diplomat said, urging the DPRK to recognize it will never succeed in its strategy to develop its economy and nuclear program together.
The diplomat also said that because the DPRK's fourth nuclear test will have a significance meaning substantively and symbolically, a variety of sanctions will come out regionally, bilaterally and internationally.
His comments came after the DPRK warned of a "new form" of nuclear test in late March, boosting fears over the fourth nuclear test following those in 2006, 2009 and 2013.
Top nuclear envoys of South Korea, Japan and the United States met in Washington on Monday, reaffirming their pursuit of a " verifiable denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner.
Touching on the terms to resume the long-suspended six-party talks, Yun said that Seoul will push to consult with China and the DPRK in a way that meets the two goals which Seoul, Tokyo and Washington wanted to achieve.
The two goals referred to a substantive progress in denuclearizing the DPRK and a block of the DPRK's nuclear capability enhancement, Yun said.
Hwang Joon-kook, Seoul's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, will visit Beijing for two days from Saturday for talks with his Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei, the Foreign Ministry said in a press release.
The two will discuss overall issues on the DPRK and its nuclear program, including ways to resume talks to denuclearization in the DPRK, the ministry said.
The six-way dialogue, which involves the two Koreas, China, the United States, Russia and Japan, were initiated in Beijing in August 2003, but have been stalled since December 2008. The United States and its allies have refused to restart the talks until the DPRK shows its commitment to giving up its nuclear program.
