Support Peace Process In Korean Peninsula - South Korean Envoy

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and the international community should continue to support the peace process in the Korean peninsula, especially with the current tension in the region, said South Korean ambassador to Malaysia Cho Byungjae. The envoy said the South Korean government was now closely consulting with the United Nations and partner countries in its effort to bring the tension under control. "Even during the ASEAN Regional Forum in early August, all the international participants urged to see the Korean peninsula nuclear weapon-free. "This kind of united support is what we want to see for peace and stability to continue in the region," he told Bernama, here, Monday. Cho stressed that if the situation in the Korean peninsula remained unstable, other regions including Southeast Asia, would be affected. Tensions in the Korean peninsula continued even after the Korean War ended in 1953. The latest incident, which created tension between North Korea and South Korea, started on Aug 4 after a landmine exploded in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), maiming two South Korean soldiers. Reports said that following this, South Korea resumed its blast of propaganda messages into North Korea in response to the incident, in which North Korea called it a "declaration of war". Cho said he hoped this incident would not escalate into a war and urged the North Korean government to apologise and stop the provocation. High-level talks between the two sides had been ongoing since Saturday evening at the border village of Panmunjom to find a solution and ease tension in the region, the ambassador said. (photoBERNAMA) -- BERNAMA