N. Korean delegation in New York for talks with U.S.

(ATTN: CLARIFIES that talks are unconfirmed; UPDATES with more details, background
throughout)
By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 (Yonhap) -- A North Korean delegation arrived in New York
Friday to attend seminars amid rumors they will also meet with U.S. officials to
discuss holding bilateral talks in Pyongyang for a breakthrough on stalled
six-party nuclear talks.
Upon arriving at JFK airport on a Northwest Airlines flight from Japan's Narita
airport, the head of the delegation, Ri Gun, director general of the North
American affairs bureau of North Korea's Foreign Ministry, would not elaborate on
his itinerary.
"I will tell you later," he told reporters before being whisked away by a sedan.
"I came here to attend seminars and exchange opinions. I have just stepped in
(the U.S.) and I'd better discuss later when I return after finishing talks."
On the question if he will meet with Sung Kim, U.S. special envoy for six-party
talks, Ri said, "As I am here, I am supposed to move in accordance with the
schedules they made."
Ri is expected to meet with Sung Kim in San Diego and New York on the sidelines
of seminars there.
State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said that his department has not yet made a
decision on who will represent the U.S. in the seminars.
"It hasn't been decided yet," he said. "As soon as it's determined who's going to
go to participate in these meetings, we'll let you know."
Asked if the North Korean delegation will meet with U.S. officials in New York
over the weekend, Kelly said, "I don't have anything to announce about that. But
I certainly wouldn't exclude it."
Another official, who asked not to be identified, said that he expected Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton will approve the plans by Sung Kim to travel to New York
and San Diego for talks with Ri, although more urgent work on Afghanistan and
Pakistan has prevented her from signing the plans for talks with the North.
Ri, also North Korea's deputy chief to the six-nation nuclear talks, led a North
Korean delegation to Beijing earlier this week on his way to the United States.
Ri and Kim are expected to discuss preparations for a visit to Pyongyang by
Stephen Bosworth, U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, for a
breakthrough on the stalled nuclear negotiations.
North Korea extended the invitation to Bosworth in August when former U.S.
President Bill Clinton visited the North Korean capital to win the release of two
American journalists.
Ri has been invited to participate in the Northeast Asia Cooperative Dialogue
(NEACD) at the University of California, San Diego, and also in a seminar in New
York hosted by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy and the Korea
Society.
The event in San Diego, set for Oct. 26-27 and organized by the Institute on
Global Conflict and Cooperation, is intended to bring together academics as well
as government officials from all members of the six-way talks ending the North
Korean nuclear program, including the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Russia and
Japan.
North Korea has boycotted the six-party talks due to U.N. sanctions for its
nuclear and missile tests, but North Korean leader Kim Jong-il expressed his
intention to come back to the six-party talks earlier this month when he met with
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in Pyongyang.
Kim, however, linked the North's participation to the outcome of the anticipated
bilateral talks with the U.S., which has yet to make a decision on whether to
send Bosworth to Pyongyang.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that the U.S. will not
lift sanctions on North Korea or normalize ties unless Pyongyang takes
irreversible steps toward denuclearization.
The top U.S. diplomat also said, "Within the framework of the six-party talks, we
are prepared to meet bilaterally with North Korea. But North Korea's return to
the negotiating table is not enough."
hdh@yna.co.kr
(END)