Seoul, February 24 (QNA) – South Korea’s Nuclear Envoy, Jeong Yeon-doo, called on today called on North Korea to comply with United Nations Security Council resolutions concerning its nuclear and missile programs and to return to the negotiating table.

The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Jeong Yeon-doo, who also serves as Vice Minister for Diplomatic Strategy and Intelligence, made this appeal during a high-level meeting held within the framework of the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, Switzerland.

“We call upon the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to respond to our sincere efforts and to engage constructively in dialogue, and also to return to full compliance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and relevant UN Security Council resolutions”, Jeong said.

He also expressed deep concern over North Korea’s illegal military cooperation with Russia, stressing that such cooperation must “cease immediately” as it undermines international peace and security.

Jeong noted that Seoul continues to strive for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but also recognizes that achieving this goal will require a considerable amount of time.

“This is why we are pursuing a phased denuclearization approach that starts with stopping the DPRK’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs through dialogue and negotiation, moves to reduction in the medium term, and ultimately proceeds to dismantlement in the long term” he added. (QNA)