By Kim Young-jin
Seoul’s new chief nuclear envoy left for the United States Thursday to discuss how to bring North Korea back to the stalled six-party denuclearization talks, a day after being tapped for the post.
Lim Sung-nam, who served as deputy chief envoy to the talks in 2007 and 2008, is expected to coordinate with the United States on the next step in the dialogue with Pyongyang and whatever pre-steps the North must take to resume the forum.
The foreign ministry said the talks would help prepare for a summit next week between Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Barack Obama in Washington.
His trip comes on the heels of last month’s second round of inter-Korean denuclearization talks held in Beijing, seen to have maintained momentum toward eventual resumption of the talks.
On Wednesday, the 53-year-old career diplomat was tapped to replace Wi Sung-lac, who was named ambassador to Russia as part of a routine shuffle.
Officials here expect the U.S. to hold a second round of talks with Pyongyang soon after the Seoul-Washington summit.
The separate bilateral talks are seen as a stepping stone to a resumption of the denuclearization-for-aid forum that Pyongyang stormed away from in 2009 disapproving sanctions for its missile and nuclear tests.
Seoul and Washington prefer Pyongyang take concrete denuclearization steps and resume international inspections of its program before the talks resume. The North has called for resumption without preconditions.
Efforts on reviving the talks have been in high gear since July, when Wi held surprise talks with his North Korean counterpart, Ri Yong-ho in Bali that was followed by a second meeting last month.
Lim has also worked at missions in the United Nations and Taipei and speaks English, Chinese and Japanese. He has worked closely with Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik at the Korean embassy in Beijing as well as Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan.
Many remain skeptical of the six-way talks, suspecting Pyongyang is unlikely to give up what is seen as its greatest bargaining chip. Still, it is viewed as the best way to interact with the Stalinist state.