DPRK's reasonable concerns should be addressed

BEIJING - China on Thursday responded to a Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) statement giving conditions for nuclear disarmament by saying that its reasonable concerns should be addressed in order to properly settle the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the parties concerned should seek a comprehensive approach to solve the nuclear deadlock, address both the symptoms and root causes, and resolve concerns including those of the DPRK in a balanced way.

The DPRK said in a statement on Wednesday that it would not unilaterally dismantle its nuclear deterrence unless outside nuclear threats were removed.

Denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and safeguarding peace and stability meets the common interests of all parties, Hua said.

Stressing that dialogue is the only correct solution to calm Korean Peninsula tensions, she said China is ready to make joint efforts with the parties concerned to promote early resumption of the six-party talks and implement the objectives of the September 19 Joint Statement.

In this document, signed on September 19, 2005, the DPRK promised to abandon all its nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs.

The six-party talks, convening the DPRK, the Republic of Korea, China, the United States, Russia and Japan, have been stalled since late 2008.