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| Woo Won-shik, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, speaks at the party meeting Wednesday. / Yonhap |
By Choi Ha-young
The political parties showed mixed reactions over North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's surprise meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping which was officially announced Wednesday.
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) praised President Moon Jae-in's diplomatic skills that it credited for the China-North Korea summit, saying the party looks forward to its positive influence in cooperation with other countries
"The summit is expected to bring a positive influence, since there's no change in the ultimate goal of the series of summits ― establishing a permanent peace between the two Koreas as well as Washington and Pyongyang," DPK floor leader Woo Won-shik said at a party meeting the same day.
The floor leader viewed the two leaders choosing to meet was in hopes of maximizing their leverage in Kim's planned summits with Presidents Moon and Donald Trump, respectively in April and May.
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"Through the summit, the North seems to be eyeing bigger negotiating power through meeting Xi, while China is likely to regain its influence on the Korean peninsula," Woo said.
The ruling party vowed to fully support President Moon's bid to take the "driver's seat" in getting the North to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
"The chain of hectic diplomatic moves around the peninsula is what Moon achieved through his continuous efforts," Woo said. "The nation has begun the unprecedented challenge for denuclearization and permanent peace. The DPK will do its best to complete the mission."
However, the largest conservative Liberty Korea Party (LKP) belittled Moon's bid. "The world is ridiculed by Kim's nuclear strategy," LKP Chairman Hong Joon-pyo said on Facebook. "Moon, without a driver's license, believes he is driving the car, while Kim is virtually in the driver's seat."
The conservative party voiced concerns that Kim may have gained time to master nuclear and missile technology, if he managed to get China to lift sanctions.
"Moon's bid has been weakened, as the situation has become complicated by the surprise summit between China and the North," spokesman Hong Ji-man said in a statement.
The minor centrist Bareun Mirae Party (BMP) echoed the LKP's point. "The Beijing-Pyongyang summit has made it difficult to predict the outcome of the planned summits, since China may manipulate the meetings behind the scenes," said party co-leader Park Joo-sun.
Yoo Seong-min, his co-leader, called Moon to contact the U.S. immediately, claiming that the summits in April and May should focus on denuclearization. Emphasizing the crucial role of China, the BMP urged Beijing to keep a tight rein on sanctions until the North begins to denuclearize.
The forth-largest Party for Democracy and Peace (PDP) highlighted Kim's message in which he hinted at a willingness to denuclearize. "The party thinks that Kim is willing to discuss denuclearization," spokesman Rep. Choi Gyung-hwan said. "The two Koreas are properly exploring a roadmap for denuclearization."
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