South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan said North Korea could become a strong and prosperous country not by military provocations but by opening up to the outside world, just as its major ally China did.

“North Korea cannot become a power state by enhancing military power and conducting provocations. China has achieved marvelous economic growth, becoming one of the leaders in the international community by reforms and opening up,” Kim said in a speech in Shanghai in celebration of the 20th anniversary of diplomatic ties between South Korea and China.

“If North Korean people’s lives are improved, they will build trust in the North’s new leadership. This will gain more than the so-called ‘satellite launch,’” he said.

Kim’s comments come as Pyongyang’s planned rocket launch, deemed by the international community a pretext to test a long-range missile, is approaching fast.

The North said it would launch Kwangmyongsong-3 sometime between April 12 and 16 to mark the centenary of its late founder Kim Il-sung’s birth.

Kim also called on China to play a bigger role in stopping the North from following its nuclear ambitions.

“As a close neighbor to North Korea, we want China to contribute to encouraging the North to give up on nuclear programs and to join the common goal of co-existence and prosperity in Northeast Asia,” Kim said.

Kim had a trilateral meeting with his Chinese and Japanese counterparts on Sunday to discuss how to deal with North Korea’s rocket launch.

By Kim Yoon-mi (yoonmi@heraldcorp.com)