国际英语新闻:Roundup: S.Korean politicians agree on bipartisan efforts to ease Korean Peninsula tensions

SEOUL, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in and chiefs of four opposition parties on Wednesday agreed on bipartisan efforts to de-escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Moon held a meeting at the presidential Blue House with heads of the ruling Democratic Party, the centrist People's Party, the minor progressive Justice Party and the minor conservative Righteous Party to discuss security issues.

Chief of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party refused to attend the rare meeting between party leaders and the president, according to the Blue House.

After the meeting, a five-point joint statement was issued to reconfirm a basis principle of resolving the peninsula's nuclear issue peacefully while agreeing to make bipartisan efforts to ease the tensions on the peninsula.

The statement urged the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to immediately stop provocation and come to the path of peace and denuclearization, condemning the DPRK's nuclear and missile provocations.

It vowed to thoroughly implement the UN sanctions on Pyongyang and solidify the South Korea-U.S. alliance, while making efforts to strengthen deterrence capability against the DPRK's nuclear and missile threats.

"A war will never be acceptable on the Korean Peninsula. (We) reconfirm a principle that security issues, including North Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear issue, should be resolved peacefully," said the statement.

It said partisan efforts in the National Assembly, which the government will also actively support, would be important to ease tensions on the peninsula.

The president and opposition party chiefs agreed to set up a standing committee to discuss state affairs, which will make it easier for them to meet more conveniently and frequently.

Tensions runs high on the peninsula as the DPRK conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sept. 3.

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a new resolution toughening sanctions on Pyongyang. In response, the DPRK tested an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) over Japan.

The war of rhetoric was resumed between Pyongyang and Washington as U.S. President Donald Trump said in his debut UN speech last week that his country would have no choice but to "totally destroy" the DPRK if it continues to threaten the United States and its allies.

Top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un issued a rare statement in response to the Trump's UN speech, warning Washington of the highest-level of hardline countermeasure in history.

U.S. strategic bombers and fighter escorts flew in international airspace over waters off the DPRK's east coast last weekend, and it caused a strong backlash from Pyongyang as the DPRK's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho called it as a declaration of war.

According to spokespersons from the four political parties, President Moon would continue to make efforts at talks with the DPRK, saying at the meeting that South Korea would send a special envoy to Pyongyang if right conditions are created at the right time.

Moon, however, noted that it was not a right timing to currently dispatch the envoy, reiterating his earlier position.

Meanwhile, the U.S. side has promised to deploy its strategic military assets in areas near the Korean Peninsula on a rotational basis "as early as later this year," according to Chung Eui-yong, top national security advisor to President Moon, cited by the party spokespersons.

The U.S. strategic military assets include nuclear-capable aircraft carrier, nuclear-powered submarine, nuclear-capable bombers and stealth fighter jets.