President Park Geun-hye said Friday North Korea should follow in Kazakhstan’s footsteps, give up its nuclear programs and rebuild its broken economy for the sake of better lives of its people.

Park made the remark during a meeting with a group of foreign ambassadors after Kazakhstan’s envoy explained how the Central Asian nation gave up a large stockpile of nuclear-capable missiles and pushed its economy forward, the presidential office said in a statement.

Park said, “(She) hopes North Korea will learn from Kazakhstan’s experiences and make a change in the right direction so that the standard of living of its people will improve,” according to the statement.

The other envoys included ambassadors from Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia and Bulgaria.

Park expressed gratitude to the countries for condemning North Korea’s third nuclear test in February and supporting South Korea’s policy on the North.

She also said that the international community should speak with a “consistent and united voice” to prod North Korea to make the right decision, saying the country is deepening its own isolation while claiming that it is a nuclear power and refusing to hold dialogue.

Pakistan’s ambassador expressed regret about North Korea’s threats, appreciated Park’s leadership and stressed the importance of the six-party talks aimed at ending Pyongyang’s nuclear programs for the sake of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, the statement said. (Yonhap News)