New U.S. nuke envoy in Seoul to discuss stalled nuclear negotiations

Source
CGTN.COM
Editor
Wang Xinjuan
Time
2021-06-20 19:08:52
Sung Kim (R) stands after U.S. President Joe Biden announced Kim will serve as a special U.S. envoy for DPRK in Washington, May 21, 2021. /Reuters

The newly appointed U.S. special representative for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) policy, Sung Kim, arrived in Seoul on Saturday for talks with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts. Officials are meeting to initiate a coordinated strategy to resume nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang.

It's the U.S. envoy's first visit to Seoul for five days until Wednesday since he took office on May 21.

On Monday, he will have talks with Noh Kyu-duk, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and join a trilateral meeting involving Takehiro Funakoshi, the director-general for Asian and Oceanian affairs of the Japanese foreign ministry, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.

Upon arrival at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, Kim said that he is looking forward to "productive meetings" with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Yonhap reported.

During his stay in Seoul, Kim also plans to meet with other senior South Korean officials and members of academia and civil society to discuss the outcome of Washington's recently completed review of policy on the DPRK, the U.S. State Department has said.

In April, Washington completed its months long policy review and said that it would pursue a "calibrated, practical" approach toward the goal of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

His visit also came after Kim Jong Un, the top leader of the DPRK, vowed on Friday to break through all difficulties facing the country at the end of a plenary session of the ruling party.

At the four-day plenary session, Kim expounded on how to cope with economic challenges, including food shortages and anti-pandemic efforts, as well as new policies toward the U.S. administration, which is set for both dialogue and confrontation.

 

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