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ROK envoy to meet US officials over DPRK

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-08-03 15:28

SEOUL, Republic of Korea: The nuclear envoy of the Republic of Korea (ROK) will meet key US diplomats in charge of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) policy in Hawaii this week to talk about how to handle Pyongyang in the wake of its latest nuclear and missile tests, his office said Monday.

In this photo released by Presidential House, former US President George W. Bush, right, talks with the President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Myung-bak on Jeju island, ROK, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009. [Agencies]

Envoy Wi Sung-lac plans to meet US special envoy Stephen Bosworth and Ambassador Sung Kim, a State Department official in charge of ongoing nuclear talks on the DPRK, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Their discussions will be a brainstorming session aimed at finding ways forward, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Pyongyang has said it won't return to the six-nation talks, but it has strongly indicated it is interested in one-on-one negotiations with Washington. The six-nation talks bring together China, Japan, the two Koreas, Russia and the United States.

Related readings:  UN sanctions against DPRK working: Experts  Chance slim for quick release of DPRK-held boat  UN chief backs direct US-DPRK nuclear talks  DPRK seizes ROK fishing boat, 4 crew  US imposes sanctions on DPRK firm

The United States says it can talk bilaterally with the DPRK, but only within the six-nation framework.

As a way to pressure Pyongyang to return to the negotiating table, Washington has been seeking international support for strict enforcement of a UN sanctions resolution adopted to punish the DPRK for its May 25 nuclear test.

The DPRK has rapidly escalated tensions this year. It conducted a long-range rocket launch, quit six-nation talks on ending its nuclear program, restarted its nuclear facilities, carried out its second-ever nuclear test and test-fired a series of ballistic missiles.