Kim also gave a lecture the same day at Beijing's Tsinghua University entitled, "Peace on the Korean Peninsula and Cooperation between Korea and China," and said, "The six nations' cooperation is essential in order to keep stability and survival in the Korean Peninsula and to develop and maintain equilibrium in the East Asian region."

He added that, "North Korea's nuclear weapons development must be stopped and if the North is armed with nuclear weapons, a domino effect will take place in Northeast Asia."

In addition, he strongly pointed out that, "North Korea should completely give up the development of nuclear weapons and provide verification that the work is frozen. The other six nations, including the U.S., have to ensure North Korea's entry into the international community and security," as a solution to the nuclear weapons issue.

The lecture was the last event of his official visit to China and the ex-president will arrive back in Korea on Saturday.

(Jo Jung-shik, jscho@chosun.com )