North Korean meeting partly aimed at White House, ambassador says

The ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Canada says one of the goals of next week's meeting on the North Korean crisis co-hosted by Canada and the United States is to convince the White House that a diplomatic solution is preferable to a military option.

"It is the main purpose of this meeting," Shin Maeng-ho told The House.

"I think diplomacy is the only option left to us. War on the Korean peninsula means death of millions of people. I heard that U.K. Prime Minister Churchill said that jaw jaw is always better than world war. I think diplomacy is the art of possibility. All foreign ministers in Vancouver will seek all the ways and means for a diplomatic solution."

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The meeting was organized to show international solidarity in the face of the North Korean threat and discuss ways to find diplomatic solutions to the crisis.

It will take place after North and South Korea held on Tuesday their first official dialogue in more than two years, and agreed on negotiations to resolve problems and avert accidental conflict.

"This inter-Korean talk is a major breakthrough considering last year's very heightened tension over North Korea's missile and nuclear tests," ambassador Shin said.

"But, we should not drink champagne too early. It is, I think, significant step forward but at the same time I'd like to say that just the first small step has been taken. We have a long way to go because our target goal is denuclearization of North Korea."

But the meeting will take place without a key player.

China will not only be absent, but the country's leadership has also been critical of the gathering.

The Chinese foreign affairs said this week it would set back — rather than advance — peace efforts by creating divisions in the international community, an assessment Shin disagrees with.