Seoul’s deputy envoy to the six-party talks on the denuclearization of North Korea departed for Washington on Sunday to discuss ways to boost policy coordination and improve the situation on the peninsula, the Foreign Ministry said.
Lee Do-hoon, director-general for North Korean nuclear affairs, will meet with officials at the U.S. Department of State, the White House and other organizations until Thursday.
His travel comes a month after a visit to the U.S. capital by Cho Tae-yong, South Korea’s chief nuclear negotiator and special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs. Glyn Davies, Washington’s special representative for North Korea policy, was in Seoul in late November and has met with his Chinese, Japanese and Russian counterparts over the last couple of months.
“As an extension of consultation between the chief representatives, the two countries will trade views on the future direction of (North Korea’s) denuclearization and discuss the latest situation on the Korean Peninsula and other issues pertaining to North Korea and its nuclear weapons during Lee’s trip,” the ministry said in a statement.
Beijing, Pyongyang’s political and economic patron, has in recent months been intensifying efforts to find middle ground between its mulish ally and Seoul and Washington for a first round of the six-nation forum in five years.
While the North calls for unconditional dialogue, South Korea and the U.S. remain steadfast in their demand that the communist state should first act to demonstrate its resolve for disarmament.
By Shin Hyon-hee (
heeshin@heraldcorp.com)
