U.S. nuclear envoy Biegun to attend working-level talks in N. Korea on Wednesday: State Dept.
- 5 years ago
Now, it is the new year, but diplomacy continues between the United States and North Korea.
U.S. special representative Stephen Biegun has been meeting with officials here in South Korea since he arrived on Sunday.
And now we know that he'll be going to the North tomorrow... to meet with his counterparts there.
Our Lee Ji-won tells us more.
The U.S. State Department released a media note on Monday, saying that its special representative for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, will travel to Pyeongyang on February 6th to meet with his North Korean counterpart Kim Hyok-chol.
It said the meeting is to prepare for the upcoming second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump, and also to try and make more progress on the commitments the two leaders made at their Singapore summit...
namely: complete denuclearization, transforming North Korea-U.S. relations, and building a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Biegun's travel route has not yet been announced.
By car,... it would take around 4 hours, so there's a possibility that Biegun will fly.
And, according to a South Korean official, there's a high chance that Biegun will be spending the night in the North.
Their denuclearization talks will likely focus on North Korea's dismantlement of its plutonium and uranium enrichment facilities "beyond" Yeongbyeon nuclear center, and Washington's corresponding measures to that.
Speaking at Stanford University last week, Biegun said Kim Jong-un committed to the destruction of these complex of sites "and more," in addition to international experts' verification of the complete dismantlement of the missle test site at Dongchang-ri and the nuclear test site at Punggye-ri.
Biegun also mentioned a need for a complete understanding of the full extent of North Korea's weapons of mass destruction missile programs, reaching an agreement on expert access and monitoring mechanisms to international standards and ultimately, ensuring the removal and destruction of fissile material, weapons, missiles and launchers.
On the other hand, it's said that some of the measures being considered by the U.S.... are establishing a joint liaison office, declaring an end to the Korean War,... and providing humanitarian aid.
And there's also a hint of the North's much coveted economic benefits,... as Biegun said, regarding sanctions relief, that (quote) "we didn't say we won't do anything until you do everything."
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.
U.S. special representative Stephen Biegun has been meeting with officials here in South Korea since he arrived on Sunday.
And now we know that he'll be going to the North tomorrow... to meet with his counterparts there.
Our Lee Ji-won tells us more.
The U.S. State Department released a media note on Monday, saying that its special representative for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, will travel to Pyeongyang on February 6th to meet with his North Korean counterpart Kim Hyok-chol.
It said the meeting is to prepare for the upcoming second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump, and also to try and make more progress on the commitments the two leaders made at their Singapore summit...
namely: complete denuclearization, transforming North Korea-U.S. relations, and building a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Biegun's travel route has not yet been announced.
By car,... it would take around 4 hours, so there's a possibility that Biegun will fly.
And, according to a South Korean official, there's a high chance that Biegun will be spending the night in the North.
Their denuclearization talks will likely focus on North Korea's dismantlement of its plutonium and uranium enrichment facilities "beyond" Yeongbyeon nuclear center, and Washington's corresponding measures to that.
Speaking at Stanford University last week, Biegun said Kim Jong-un committed to the destruction of these complex of sites "and more," in addition to international experts' verification of the complete dismantlement of the missle test site at Dongchang-ri and the nuclear test site at Punggye-ri.
Biegun also mentioned a need for a complete understanding of the full extent of North Korea's weapons of mass destruction missile programs, reaching an agreement on expert access and monitoring mechanisms to international standards and ultimately, ensuring the removal and destruction of fissile material, weapons, missiles and launchers.
On the other hand, it's said that some of the measures being considered by the U.S.... are establishing a joint liaison office, declaring an end to the Korean War,... and providing humanitarian aid.
And there's also a hint of the North's much coveted economic benefits,... as Biegun said, regarding sanctions relief, that (quote) "we didn't say we won't do anything until you do everything."
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.