(LEAD) Goldberg in S. Korea to coordinate N. Korea policy

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES throughout with details)
By Lee Chi-dong
YEONGJONG ISLAND, South Korea, Aug. 23 (Yonhap) -- A top U.S. diplomat in charge
of implementing recent U.N. sanctions on North Korea arrived in Seoul Sunday,
refraining from commenting on Washington's response to signs of a thaw in frosty
inter-Korean ties.

Philip Goldberg, coordinator for the implementation of U.N. Security Council
Resolution 1874 adopted after the North's nuclear test in May, said he was on an
"official trip to talk with the Korean government."closed after reporting nine
cases of the new flu,
But he brushed off a barrage of questions on the latest developments involving
North Korea.
"Not today. I don't think it is appropriate today," he said at Incheon
International Airport, west of Seoul, after arriving from Bangkok, adding he will
have a chance to talk after meeting with South Korean government officials on
Monday.
Goldberg is scheduled to meet with South Korea's top nuclear envoy Wi Sung-lac,
as well as Oh Joon, deputy foreign minister for international organizations,
global issues and treaties, and finance ministry officials on Monday to discuss a
joint strategy on implementing U.N.-imposed sanctions on Pyongyang.
Stuart Levey, under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the
Treasury Department, is not part of the team traveling with Goldberg on a
regional tour.
"Coordinator Goldberg will have consultations with the South Korean government to
review the implementation of Resolution 1874 and discuss ways for cooperation," a
foreign ministry official said.
His trip came as coordination between the allies on how to deal with North Korea
has gained in urgency. Seoul and Washington were often at odds with each other
during South Korea's past two liberal governments over how to handle Pyongayang.
North Korea is calling for one-on-one talks with the U.S. over its nuclear
program, a break from the often troubled six-way framework that also involves
South Korea, China, Russia, and Japan. The U.S. has maintained that it will stand
by the six-party format, though whether it will continue to do so remains
unclear, especially after President Barack Obama received a briefing from former
president Bill Clinton on the outcome of his recent meeting with North Korean
leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang.
The unpredictable North is also reaching out to the South after a year and a half
of confrontation. Inter-Korean relations have been at their lowest ebb in a
decade since the conservative Lee Myung-bak government came to power in South
Korea on a pledge to get tough on Pyangyang's nuclear program.
Earlier this month, North Korea proposed the resumption of long-suspended joint
tourism programs to Mount Kumgang on its east coast and the ancient border city of
Kaesong.
The South Korean government is still reviewing the offer but critics say the joint
ventures, if restarted, will lead to a steady inflow of cash for the North that
may be used for its missile and nuclear programs, which would hamper U.S.-led
efforts to impose sanctions on Pyongyang.
The issue will be discussed during Goldberg's visit, Seoul officials said.
In the latest indication that the two Koreas are moving to mend ties, President
Lee met earlier Sunday with a high-powered North Korean delegation which made a
rare trip here to pay tribute to late former South Korean leader Kim Dae-jung.
The delegation, which includes Kim Ki-nam, a senior Workers' Party official, and
Kim Yang-gon, in charge of inter-Korean affairs, relayed a message from the
North's leader Kim Jong-il to Lee on inter-Korean economic cooperation, according
to Lee's aides, who refused to elaborate.
Meanwhile, Goldberg said he may meet with Stephen Bosworth, U.S. special
representative for North Korea policy, who is also visiting Seoul as a member of
the U.S. delegation to the funeral of the late president Kim on Sunday.
Diplomatic sources say Goldberg handles Washington's "sticks" against the North,
while Bosworth deals with its "carrots."
Goldberg is to fly to Tokyo on Monday and Bosworth will head back to the U.S. the
same day. Bosworth is expected to visit Seoul again in early September during a
tour of Northeast Asia. It is uncertain whether he will also seek to travel to
Pyongyang.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)