S. Korea: China, Russia hold key to North’s denuclearization

By HYUNG-JIN KIM
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A top South Korean official says that China and Russia’s reluctance to toughen U.N. sanctions on North Korea is “the biggest challenge” facing international efforts to eliminate the North’s nuclear arsenal. Vice Defense Minister Shin Beomchul spoke with The Associated Press on Thursday ahead of a security forum being held in Seoul next week. Shin says the U.S.-China strategic rivalry and U.S.-Russia tension over the Ukraine war mean it’s possible North Korea could test a nuclear device and not be punished for it by the U.N. Security Council. Shin said a lack of a condemnation at the U.N. Security Council would lead the North to believe it has moved closer toward becoming an acknowledged nuclear state.