Seoul supports U.S. decision to send envoy to N. Korea: spokesman

By Tony Chang
SEOUL, Nov. 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korea supports Washington's decision to send a
special envoy to Pyongyang as part of the six-party process to denuclearize the
North, the government said Wednesday.
The U.S. State Department said Tuesday that Stephen Bosworth, Washington's
special representative on North Korea policy, will go to Pyongyang "at an
appropriate time" by the end of the year as part of efforts to bring the North
back to the multilateral denuclearization talks.
"The government supports the U.S. decision to seek a visit by special envoy
Bosworth to North Korea aimed at a swift resumption of the six-party talks and
securing the promise of denuclearization, including the accord from the Sept. 19
(2005) joint statement," Moon Tae-young, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, said.
The 2005 deal calls for the North's nuclear dismantlement in return for hefty
economic aid, diplomatic recognition and establishment of a permanent peace
regime on the Korean Peninsula to replace the fragile armistice that ended the
1950-53 Korean War.
Moon added South Korea looks forward to the pending bilateral meeting to
"contribute positively to the North Korean nuclear stalemate" by bringing the
North back to the negotiation table.
"South Korea and the U.S. have held close consultations during the process (of
seeking the U.S.-North Korean bilateral talks) and will maintain a sturdy
alliance in seeking practical progress on the North Korean nuclear issue," the
spokesman said
Earlier reports said that North Korea has agreed that Bosworth will meet with
Kang Sok-ju, North Korea's first vice foreign minister and the immediate superior
of Kim Kye-gwan, the North's chief nuclear negotiator.
The two sides also agreed to hold at least two bilateral meetings before
Pyongyang returns to the six-party talks, reports said. The agreement was reached
at talks between Sung Kim, U.S. special envoy for six-party forum, and Ri Gun,
director general of the North American affairs bureau of North Korea's foreign
ministry, in New York and San Diego recently on the sidelines of academic
seminars, according to the reports.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il early last month agreed to return to the
six-party talks pending the outcome of bilateral talks with the U.S.
Philip Crowley, assistant secretary of state for public affairs, said the North's
gestures were the results of successful implementation of international financial
sanctions and an overall arms embargo, which Washington believes have effectively
cut off revenues from arms sales, the only source of hard currency for the
impoverished communist state.
"We have to believe that North Korea has felt, you know, some of that pressure,"
Crowley said. "You know, so you've seen a shift in their strategy, the so-called
charm offensive that they have engaged in for the past couple of months."
odissy@yna.co.kr
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