US, South Korea envoys discuss jumpstarting talks with North Korea
FILE PHOTO: Noh Kyu-duk (right), South Korea's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, poses with Sung Kim, US Special Representative for North Korea, during their bilateral meeting at a hotel in Seoul , on Jun 21, 2021. (Photo: Jung Yeon-Je/Pool via REUTERS)
SEOUL: The US special envoy for North Korea was due to meet his South Korean counterpart on Monday (Aug 23), as the two allies look for ways to entice Pyongyang back to talks over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes.
Sung Kim arrived in Seoul on Saturday for a four-day visit. He met with Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong at the minister's residence on Sunday, where they discussed ways for a speedy resumption of the peace process on the Korean peninsula, a foreign ministry official said.
On Monday Kim will meet with his South Korean counterpart, Noh Kyu-duk, and on Tuesday with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov in Seoul.
The visit comes as a brief thaw in inter-Korean relations in July gave way to a new standoff over US-South Korean military exercises that North Korea has warned could trigger a security crisis.
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The nine-day exercise began on Aug 16, with silence so far from North Korean state media despite fears that the country could conduct a missile test or take other actions to underscore its disapproval.
North Korea has said it is open to diplomacy, but that the American overtures appear hollow while "hostile acts" such as the drills continue
US President Joe Biden's administration has said it will explore diplomacy to achieve North Korean denuclearisation, but shown no willingness to ease sanctions.
