SEOUL: South Korean envoys held talks in North Korea on Wednesday to finalize details on a third North-South summit to be held this month amid stalled talks on denuclearization between the North and the United States.
South Korean officials hope the one-day visit will revive momentum after a broad but unspecific agreement on denuclearization between the United States and North Korea at a Singapore summit in June.
Those talks have stalled since US President Donald Trump canceled Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s trip to North Korea last month.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s special envoys were led by the national security chief at the presidential Blue House, Chung Eui-yong, and included director of the National Intelligence Service spy agency, Suh Hoon.
The envoys were greeted in Pyongyang by Ri Son Gwon, chairman of a North Korean committee in charge of cross-border affairs, who has steered high-level inter-Korean talks, according to Blue House presssecretary Yoon Young-chan.
They held a 20-minute meeting with Ri and Kim Yong Chol, who playeda key role with Pompeo in arranging the Singapore summit, Yoon saidwithout elaborating.
Additional talks are expected to take place between the Seoul andPyongyang officials, but it was not certain that the envoys would meetNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Yoon said. Kim met the South’sdelegation on their previous trip in March.
“The delegation was on the way for an official meeting but they did not inform whom they’ll meet and where,” Yoon said in a statement.
Trending
- Indian PM’s decision to call AJ&K a part of India is a violation of UN resolutions: Javed Badhanvi
- Significance of Qatar Emir’s crucial Bangladesh visit
- Dr. Yunus’ Dark Side and Social Media Users
- Terrorizing the CPEC: Analyzing a Comprehensive Security Framework for CPEC
- Flood in Gwadar
- In Pursuit of Morels: A Childhood Adventure
- FBL Unveils Strong Financial Results for the Q1’24
- High-profile UK delegation explores collaborative opportunities at NUST