South Korea's top nuclear envoy left for the United States on Monday for negotiations with his U.S. counterpart on ways to resume the long-stalled six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
Hwang Joon-kook, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, is scheduled to meet Glyn Davies, the U.S. envoy on North Korean policy, according to the foreign ministry. The trip comes only about three months after he last visited Washington to meet Davies.
"We plan to assess situations on the Korean Peninsula, given recent changes in circumstances," Hwang told Yonhap News Agency by phone before departing to the U.S. for a three-day visit. "The two sides plan to check North Korea's nuclear issues and fine-tune the future plan."
His visit to the U.S. is seen as being hastily arranged ahead of South Korea's fall harvest Chuseok holiday that falls on Monday.
The visit comes at a delicate time, when speculation is rising that the U.S. may send a special envoy to the North to win the release of three detained American citizens.
Kim Kwan-jin, Seoul's top national security adviser, is also expected to visit the U.S. in September to meet with his counterpart, Susan Rice, to discuss the North Korean issue and other pending bilateral affairs.
The six-party talks aimed at curbing the North's nuclear ambitions have been dormant since late 2008, when Pyongyang walked away from the negotiating table. The talks involve the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan.
North Korea has called for an "unconditional" resumption of the talks, but Seoul and Washington insist that Pyongyang should first take concrete steps toward denuclearization. (Yonhap)
Hwang Joon-kook, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, is scheduled to meet Glyn Davies, the U.S. envoy on North Korean policy, according to the foreign ministry. The trip comes only about three months after he last visited Washington to meet Davies.
"We plan to assess situations on the Korean Peninsula, given recent changes in circumstances," Hwang told Yonhap News Agency by phone before departing to the U.S. for a three-day visit. "The two sides plan to check North Korea's nuclear issues and fine-tune the future plan."
His visit to the U.S. is seen as being hastily arranged ahead of South Korea's fall harvest Chuseok holiday that falls on Monday.
The visit comes at a delicate time, when speculation is rising that the U.S. may send a special envoy to the North to win the release of three detained American citizens.
Kim Kwan-jin, Seoul's top national security adviser, is also expected to visit the U.S. in September to meet with his counterpart, Susan Rice, to discuss the North Korean issue and other pending bilateral affairs.
The six-party talks aimed at curbing the North's nuclear ambitions have been dormant since late 2008, when Pyongyang walked away from the negotiating table. The talks involve the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan.
North Korea has called for an "unconditional" resumption of the talks, but Seoul and Washington insist that Pyongyang should first take concrete steps toward denuclearization. (Yonhap)
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