After North Korean Missile Launches, China Unusually Says It Hopes "Relevant Parties" Will Work for Peace

Following North Korea's series of ballistic missile launches, China said it hoped for a political resolution to the Korean Peninsula issue for the first time in nine months.

News about North Korea's missile launch is shown on a TV screen in the waiting area of Seoul Station on the 29th. Yonhap News.

At a regular briefing on October 29, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun commented on North Korea's ballistic missile launches, saying, "We have noted that relevant parties hold differing views on how to classify the projectiles. We hope that the relevant parties will face up to the root causes of the Korean Peninsula issue, maintain the broad direction of a political resolution, and work to safeguard peace and stability in the region."

This was the first time in nine months that China's Foreign Ministry had referred to efforts to "safeguard peace and stability" in connection with a North Korean missile launch, since a briefing on January 28. In response to North Korean missile launches, China had said that "efforts by all parties are needed" or declined to state its position.

According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea launched about 10 short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea at around 12:30 p.m. on October 29. The JCS said the missiles flew about 250 km and that South Korean and U.S. authorities were conducting a detailed analysis. The projectiles are believed to have been 600-mm super-large multiple rocket launchers (KN-25). North Korea claims the 600-mm super-large multiple rocket launcher is a weapon for striking South Korea that can carry its tactical nuclear warhead, Hwasan-31.

The launches came after the Ministry of National Defense proposed inter-Korean military talks to prevent accidental clashes along the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Earlier, as tensions in border areas mounted, including after a North Korean mine exploded south of the MDL and seriously injured a South Korean service member, the ministry formally proposed on October 23 that North Korea hold military talks to discuss mutually confirming the MDL's location, restoring military communication lines, and preventing accidental clashes in border areas. The proposal was made in the name of Kim Hong-cheol, Director of the Defense Policy Bureau. It was the second time the Lee Jae-myung administration had proposed official inter-Korean talks, following its first proposal in November 2025, but North Korea has remained silent without responding.

China's Foreign Ministry issued its statement on October 29, after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a surprise visit to Dandong, China, on October 24, crossing the New Yalu River Bridge. Some observers have suggested that China's reference to "efforts by the parties" for the first time in nine months may have been prompted by South Korea's proposal for talks amid tensions between the two Koreas.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.