By Kang Hyun-kyung
Wi Sung-lac, South Korea’s chief nuclear negotiator, will travel to Washington from Thursday to Saturday to meet officials of the State Department and the White House, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT) said the list of officials that Wi will meet during the three-day tour has not been confirmed.
Seoul and Washington are scheduled to finalize it before he departs.
The nuclear negotiator will discuss with U.S. officials ways to handle North Korea’s enriched uranium program at the U.N. Security Council. They will also exchange updated information on North Korea.
Wi’s Washington trip comes amid signs that the North may conduct a third nuclear test. Earlier there were media reports that South Korea and U.S. intelligence authorities spotted the north digging additional tunnels at the Musudan-ri launch facility for a possible underground atomic test.
The North is also suffering from acute food shortages.