Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may have required China to exclude any mention of denuclearizing his country as a prerequisite for his presence at the recent military parade in Beijing, South Korea's unification minister stated on Monday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Minister Chung Dong-young raised this possibility during a parliamentary session following Kim's unusual visit to China last week. During the trip, Kim attended a military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II on Wednesday, alongside the Chinese and Russian presidents, signaling trilateral solidarity to the international community.
Kim also engaged in talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. However, the discussions concluded without any mention of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, a significant shift from their previous summits between 2018 and 2019, during which denuclearization was consistently emphasized by Beijing.
"I presume that (Kim) may have strongly demanded no mention of denuclearization as a condition for his attendance (at the military parade)," Chung noted. From North Korea's perspective, Kim's participation in the event may have symbolized "a significant symbolic diplomatic accomplishment." Chung further suggested that Kim's attendance was an expression of confidence in North Korea's status as a nuclear-armed nation.
Additionally, the minister remarked that the results of the Kim-Xi talks indicated North Korea's pledge of support for what he described as China's potential invasion of Taiwan. Kim reportedly assured support for China's stance and efforts to "defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and development interests," according to North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency.
"In other words, this can be translated as a pledge of support for a (potential) invasion of Taiwan," the minister stated.