South Korea's Foreign Minister Says Chinese Balloon Incident Needs Explanation

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin has called on Beijing to provide explanations following the detection of a Chinese balloon over the United States, saying that US-China dialogue was important

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th February, 2023) South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin has called on Beijing to provide explanations following the detection of a Chinese balloon over the United States, saying that US-China dialogue was important.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that he was not going to put a firm date or time on conditions for future travel to China being met, following the postponement of a trip to Beijing due to the balloon incident.

Park Jin said on Friday that Blinken informed him of the incident and that he supported the decision of the US Secretary of State to postpone the trip.

South Korea's foreign minister said that US-China relations were important and that he hoped that Blinken's trip to Beijing would take place in the future.

Park Jin also called on China to provide a "swift and very sincere explanation" regarding the balloon incident.

Earlier on Friday, the State Department announced that Blinken would not leave for Beijing later in the day as initially planned after the Defense Department made public the discovery of a Chinese balloon over the continental United States. Washington maintains that the balloon is carrying surveillance systems, while Beijing claims that it is a civilian airship engaged in scientific research.