S. Korea, Singapore top diplomats discuss recent inter-Korean agreement

SEOUL, March 8 (Yonhap) -- The top diplomats of South Korea and Singapore discussed Thursday cooperation on a range of issues, including Seoul's efforts to open dialogue with North Korea for a peaceful resolution of the North's nuclear issues, the foreign ministry here said. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan held talks in the city state earlier in the day. On Wednesday Kang embarked on a four-day trip to Singapore and Vietnam. In the talks, Kang communicated the recent inter-Korean agreement to the Singaporean foreign minister and appealed to him to extend attention and support for Seoul's efforts to secure denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and build lasting peace with the North, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Singapore is the 2018 chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Balakrishnan welcomed "the turning point" in inter-Korean relations and reaffirmed Singapore's support for the South's efforts for denuclearization and peace-building and stressed the necessity of inter-Korean talks, according to the ministry. In the meeting, Kang also called for Singapore's support for the South Korean government's push to upgrade its partnership with ASEAN, the ministry said. In return, Balakrishnan welcomed the South Korean policy and expressed hope. The two ministers also agreed to work closely together to expand cooperation over their free trade agreement and in sectors like aircraft maintenance and free use of airspace, according to the ministry. Separately, Kang paid a courtesy call on Lee Hsien Loong, the prime minister of Singapore, the ministry added. pbr@yna.co.kr (END)