China shared North Korea bridge-building plans with South, report says

SEOUL, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- China sent South Korea advance notification of its plans to build temporary pontoons at its border with North Korea.

A South Korea foreign ministry official told local news service News 1 the message from Beijing was relayed across diplomatic channels before meetings were held in Pyongyang.

"Through diplomatic channels we were notified in advance of [China's] plans to install a bridge over the Tumen River to transport disaster relief for humanitarian reasons, [which were] a response to the floods of late August and early September," the official said.

The official also said Seoul requested China's actions be compliant with U.N. Security Council sanctions Resolution 2270.

China's foreign ministry had announced on Wednesday the country might build the bridges to send relief items to areas of North Korea recovering from a flood described by Pyongyang as "catastrophic" and the worst since World War II.

"This is a humanitarian relief operation," foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang had said as China's vice foreign minister was visiting North Korea to discuss border issues, according to Kyodo News.

Liu Zhenmin and about a dozen senior Chinese officials met with Liu's North Korea counterpart Pak Myong Guk, as well as with public security and environmental policy officials, Xinhua reported.

Liu's visit marked the first time a high-ranking Beijing official visited North Korea since February. It is also the first visit by a Chinese official since North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test on Sept. 9.