South Korea expressed its "grave concern" over North Korea's latest nuclear revelations when its chief nuclear envoy visited China, Pyongyang's top benefactor, earlier this week, a foreign
ministry official here said Tuesday.
Wi Sung-lac met with his Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei in Beijing on Monday and "shared opinions on how to deal with" the claims that the North is running a highly sophisticated uranium enrichment plant and building a light-water reactor, the official said.
The official, who spoke to reporters on the customary condition of anonymity, would not say how China reacted over the claims, which were made public over the weekend and prompted Stephen Bosworth, the top U.S. envoy on North Korea, to travel to Asia.
Beijing is Pyongyang's only remaining major ally and seen as holding the diplomatic and economic reins to push the North to denuclearize within the framework of six-nation talks.
"South Korea and China reached a consensus that conditions need to be created for the six-way talks to resume and agreed to continue to make diplomatic efforts toward it," the official told reporters.
The talks, stalled since late 2008, include the two Koreas, China, the U.S., Japan and Russia.