The leader of South Korea's ruling Democratic Party renewed calls for dialogue with North Korea on Monday, voicing hopes that President Moon Jae-in's visit to China this week will help craft a peaceful solution to the escalating nuclear standoff.
During a party meeting, Choo Mi-ae also cited a senior UN official's recent statement that "time is of the essence" in handling the stalemate, stressing that Seoul needs to craft a dialogue-based strategy to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Amid heightened tensions sparked by the North's Nov. 29 test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, Jeffrey Feltman, the UN undersecretary-general for political affairs visited the North last week. After his trip, he pointed out the "urgent need to prevent miscalculations and open channels to reduce the risks of conflict."
Choo Mi-ae, the leader of the ruling Democratic Party, speaks during a meeting with senior party officials at the National Assembly in Seoul on Dec. 11, 2017. (Yonhap)
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