Top nuclear strategists from South Korea and the U.S. met Saturday in Seoul to hammer out their response to North Korea's recent peace overtures, which was soon followed by renewed nuclear threats.
Stephen Bosworth, Washington's special representative for North Korean policy, and Seoul’s top nuclear envoy Wi Sung-lac discussed a joint response to Pyongyang's so-called "two-track" tactic, Yonhap News Agency said citing government sources.
Bosworth and Wi refused to reveal the details of their consultation, saying they will have a meeting with the press on Sunday.
Bosworth also met with Unification Minister Hyun In-taek, who is in charge of Seoul's policy on Pyongyang. He is scheduled to have a breakfast meeting with Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan on Sunday before heading to Japan, the last leg of his three-nation tour.
Shortly before leaving Beijing for Seoul on Friday, Bosworth reaffirmed that he has "no plans at the moment to go to North Korea."
He also confirmed media reports that the North has invited him to visit Pyongyang.
"Well, one of the things that we're doing on this trip is to coordinate with our partners on the way in which we should respond to the invitations that the North Koreans have extended," he said.
On Friday, the North said it has almost acquired the technology to enrich uranium, adding to a nuclear arsenal composed of several plutonium bombs. That claim remains unconfirmed but experts doubt the cash-strapped nation has sufficient facilities to actually produce highly-enriched uranium.
The North's provocative statement followed weeks of conciliatory gestures, including the release of detained South Korean and American nationals, an agreement to resume inter-Korean tourism businesses, and the reconnection of direct communication lines with the South.