S. Korea's nuke envoy to visit China, U.S. for talks

SEOUL, March 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's chief envoy on the North Korean nuclear
issue will make a two-day trip to Beijing this week to talk with Chinese
officials over Pyongyang's planned rocket launch and the stalled six-way
negotiations, officials said Sunday.
Wi Sung-lac will meet China's Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei on Tuesday to
discuss preemptive and counter steps with regard to North Korea's planned missile
launch, as well as ways to resume the six-way talks aimed at resolving
Pyongyang's nuclear ambition, according to them.
"After visiting China, Wi will also visit the United States to hold talks with
officials," an official said asking not to be named.
Wi also visited Japan last week to hold a series of meetings with Japanese
Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone and other officials in Tokyo, over Pyongyang's
planned rocket launch and other issues.
The six-way talks on Pyongyang's denuclearization have been stalled for months
over a dispute on verification of the North's nuclear inventory.
The outlook for the negotiations, also involving the U.S., China, and Russia,
dimmed after North Korea announced earlier this month that it will fire a rocket
carrying an "experimental communication satellite" some time between April 4-8.
South Korea and its allies regard the launch as a disguised long-range missile
test and say it would violate U.N. Security Council Resolution 1718, which bans
the North from engaging in any missile-related activities. They warn sanctions
could follow should the North proceed with the launch.
sam@yna.co.kr
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