Yoon, Steinmeier agree close cooperation in response to North nuclear threat

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Yoon, Steinmeier agree close cooperation in response to North nuclear threat

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, left, and President Yoon Suk-yeol speak at a joint press conference after talks at the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul on Friday. [YONHAP]

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, left, and President Yoon Suk-yeol speak at a joint press conference after talks at the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul on Friday. [YONHAP]

 
President Yoon Suk-yeol and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier discussed North Korea's recent missile launches and agreed to cooperate closely in their response to the North's nuclear and missile threats on Friday.
 
Steinmeier arrived in Seoul on Thursday for a three-day official visit.
 
Speaking at a joint press conference after their meeting, the two heads of state said they exchanged views on a range of issues, including the North Korean threat, supply chains and the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, during talks at the presidential office in Seoul.
 
“We shared our serious concerns over North Korea’s recent repeated missile provocations and agreed to cooperate closely to forge a united response alongside the international community in the event North Korea carries out another grave provocation,” Yoon said.
 
North Korea launched 23 missiles on Wednesday and six missiles, including a suspected inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM), on Thursday. One missile on Wednesday landed inside the South Korean exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the East Sea, just 57 kilometers (35 miles) from the South Korean coastal city of Sokcho.  
 
As a country that was once divided and later reunified, Germany could offer many lessons to the two Koreas, Yoon said, adding that he and Steinmeier agreed to strengthen cooperation to improve the human rights situation in the North.
 
Steinmeier not only condemned the North for violating United Nations Security Council resolutions banning missile tests, but also said “the responsibility for this situation lies solely with the regime in Pyongyang.”
 
The German president offered praise for Yoon’s “audacious initiative,” which promises massive economic and political aid to the North if it denuclearizes, and also expressed his country’s continued support for the “irreversible, verifiable and complete denuclearization” of North Korea.
 
Steinmeier also thanked South Korea for taking a clear stance against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
 
The two presidents also discussed their countries’ economic ties and interests, which include stabilizing supply chains and enhancing energy security.
 
Yoon said he asked Steinmeier to “take a special interest in ensuring [Korean] businesses do not receive discriminatory treatment” in the European Union market.
 
Steinmeier also said he extended an invitation to Yoon to visit Germany next year, when the two countries mark 140 years of bilateral exchanges.
 
The German president also expressed his deep condolences personally and on behalf of the German people over the deadly crowd crush that killed 156 people in Seoul last weekend.
 
The German president and his wife Elke Büdenbender paid their respects to the victims at a mourning altar established in front of Seoul City Hall on Friday morning.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]
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