SEOUL– The chief nuclear envoys of South Korea and China held phone consultations on the Korean Peninsula issue Tuesday, Seoul’s foreign ministry said, amid concerns Pyongyang could conduct another nuclear test.

Kim Gunn, Seoul’s special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and his Chinese counterpart, Liu Xiaoming, shared their assessments on regional security following North Korea’s latest missile threats and agreed to maintain close communication to respond to pending issues in the region, it added.

Kim also voiced concerns over North Korea’s escalating provocations and urged China’s active role in efforts toward denuclearization as he stressed the need to send a “grave message” of warning to Pyongyang.

Liu said China will “continue to play a constructive role” in bringing peace and security on the peninsula and in achieving denuclearization during their first such consultations since late July.

Later in the day, President Yoon Suk-yeol is set to hold his first summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Bali.

Pyongyang has recently escalated tensions on the peninsula with a barrage of missiles and artillery shells, including a ballistic missile that landed near South Korea’s territorial waters south of the Northern Limit Line for the first time since the division of the peninsula.

Source: Yonhap News Agency