Seoul-Tehran to cooperate for denuclearised Korean peninsula

South Korean President Park Geun-hye has said her landmark visit to Iran was an opportunity to secure Tehran's cooperation in denuclearising the Korean peninsula.

Park paid a three-day visit to Iran from Sunday for a summit with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. She is the first South Korean president to visit the Middle East country since they established diplomatic ties in 1962.

"This visit was aimed at securing a room for cooperation with Iran on the Korean peninsula denuclearisation issue," Xinhua news agency quoted Park as saying.

Park said it was very rare and meaningful for Iran to clearly and publicly express its position about the peninsula's denuclearisation in consideration of the very amicable relations that Iran traditionally had with North Korea.

Rouhani expressed his country's opposition to nuclear development on the Korean peninsula during a joint press conference on Monday after a summit with Park.

Park said Rouhani strongly voiced his opposition to any nuclear development and publicly expressed his support for peaceful reunification on the peninsula, saying he repeatedly stressed his opposition to any security instabilities on the peninsula.

Park's comments came amid lingering concerns about North Korea's fifth nuclear test, which South Korean military expected to occur around the Pyongyang's ruling party convention on Friday.

The seventh ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), the first party congress in 36 years, is expected to last for three to four days.

--IANS

py/vm