Korea-China Summit

[Anchor Lead]

Up next we can report indications of a South Korea-China summit on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit, which opens on Sunday in Hangzhou. Attention is focused on whether the two countries can improve their relations after the recent strain over the THAAD missile defense system issue.

[Pkg]

Upon arriving in Beijing, South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam immediately headed to the Chinese Foreign Ministry for a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Liu Zhenmin. The two vice ministers coordinated their countries' respective stances on major issues ahead of the Group of 20 summit in Hangzhou.

[Soundbite] Lim Sung-nam(Korean 1st Vice Foreign Minister) : "It is expected that there will be an announcement if a situation warrants it."

In particular, Lim and Liu agreed to arrange a South Korea-China summit on the sidelines of the G20 summit and held a final discussion on the schedule. The Chinese Foreign Ministry also said in a regular briefing that bilateral summits are entirely normal during G20 meetings, suggesting that the South Korea-China summit will take place. Vice Minister Lim repeatedly explained that the deployment of the THAAD system is a defensive measure against North Korea's nuclear and missile development, and that it will never hurt China's interests. He also stressed that Seoul and Beijing should cooperate fully to resolve the North Korean nuclear development issue.

[Soundbite] Lee Tae-hwan(Director, China Research Center, Sejong Institute) : "If a bilateral summit is held, the two countries will likely agree that their relations should not further deteriorate due to the THAAD issue."

It appears that the South Korea-China summit will serve as a litmus test of whether the two countries can improve their relations that have recently been strained over the THAAD issue.