The Senior Secretary to the President for Public Relations gave the following briefing this afternoon.

The President met with Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo who was visiting Korea on the instruction of Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao.
 

The State Councilor expressed the condolences of the Chinese authorities for the victims from the North’s artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island and noted that China would work together to prevent any aggravation of the current situation for the sake of inter-Korean peace. He also expressed the hope that strategic collaboration and communication between the two countries would be further bolstered to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Saying that the Korean Government has endured ceaseless provocative acts by the North since the 1950-53 Korean War, the President made it clear that any additional provocations would be met with strong responses.

The President said that the indiscriminate attacks against South Korean civilians by North Korea and the disclosure just days before that it had developed a highly enriched uranium program, which it had previously denied, were a grave turn of events. He asked the Chinese Government to maintain a more responsible and fair attitude in its policies involving the two Koreas, saying that this would be conducive to realizing peace on the Korean Peninsula.

He urged Beijing to play a role befitting its new-found international prestige, adding that it is now imperative for the two Koreas to pursue coexistence and peace in this new age of 21st century, putting an end to the last vestiges of the Cold War of the 20th century. 

Seoul and Beijing agreed that the two countries should without fail continue to strengthen the existing strategic cooperative partnership in all matters of mutual concern, including economic cooperation.