Japan, South Korea to ask China to help prevent North Korean rocket launch

SEOUL (Kyodo) -- Senior Japanese and South Korean officials on Friday agreed that the two countries will call on China to play an active role in preventing North Korea from launching a satellite on a long-range rocket in mid-April.

The move drew a lukewarm response from China, with a spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry calling for restraint.

Shinsuke Sugiyama, director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at Japan's Foreign Ministry, told reporters in Seoul he is planning to visit Beijing in the near future to find out China's views on North Korea's planned launch.

Sugiyama also said he agreed with Lim Sung Nam, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, that the planned launch violates a U.N. Security Council resolution adopted after North Korea had a second nuclear test in 2009, banning Pyongyang from launching any rocket using ballistic missile technology.

Sugiyama and Lim are chief delegates to the stalled six-party talks on ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

Commenting on the talks between Sugiyama and Lim, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the countries involved should restrain from taking any action ''that would complicate the situation in the Korean peninsula.'' Read More