China urges united efforts on Korean peninsula nuclear issue

South Korea said on Wednesday it suspected North Korea of attempting cyber attacks against targets in the South, following a nuclear test by the North this month that defied United Nations sanctions.

South Korea, the USA and Japan are making intense diplomatic efforts to get what their diplomats describe as a tough resolution of the UN Security Council spelling out more sanctions against North Korea.

The minister stressed that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s planned trip to China shows Washington’s strong commitment to resolving the North’s nuclear issue, noting that it is the first time the U.S. sent a state secretary to China for discussions after the North’s nuclear test. According to China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, the two sides will discuss a range of global, regional, and bilateral issues.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavorv on Tuesday reacted negatively to South Korea’s proposal to hold five-party nuclear talks excluding North Korea, saying it’s “not a good idea” to try to isolate Pyongyang.

No government, including Pyongyang, Seoul, or the United States, should have nuclear arms on the Korean Peninsula, Sergei Lavrov said.

While China says it advocates resuming talks to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, it denies holding the power to settle the dispute. The U.S. has provided extended deterrence or a “nuclear umbrella” to allies South Korea and Japan after withdrawing nuclear warheads from South Korean in the early 1990s. But more importantly, Rubio’s statement (and those of the rest of the GOP field) misses the broader point: North Korea has been an insolvable problem for presidents of both political parties.

But if the test involved a normal nuclear device, this would mean sanctions have had their effect, he added.

After the 2013 test, the Security Council also agreed to sanctions targeting “illicit activity” by North Korean diplomats, bulk transfers of cash, and banks and companies funneling funds or materials to support the country’s ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs.

North Korea could deploy SLBMs for combat use in less than three to four years, Han said.