Special U.N. envoys to visit N. Korea next month: official

NEW YORK, Jan. 30 (Yonhap) -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon plans
to send two special envoys to North Korea next month to discuss restoring a
dialogue channel between the U.N. and the North, a ranking U.N. official said
Saturday.
Lynn Pascoe, U.N. undersecretary-general for political affairs, and Kim Won-soo,
an advisor to Ban, will make a four-day visit to the communist country, starting
on Feb. 9, said the official, requesting anonymity.
The visit is primarily intended to resume high-level talks between the U.N. and
North Korea suspended for years and the special envoys will discuss issues
related to North Korea's nuclear program and humanitarian aid, said the official.
The U.N. had sought to send special envoys to Pyongyang early last year but North
Korea rejected the offer at that time, the official noted.
brk@yna.co.kr
(END)