U.S. envoy back in S. Korea after Pyongyang trip

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with Bosworth's planned meeting with S. Korean officials,
details)
By Lee Chi-dong and Kim Hyun
SEOUL, Dept. 20 (Yonhap) -- Stephen Bosworth, U.S. special envoy on North Korea,
arrived in South Korea on Thursday after a three-day trip to North Korea,
describing the visit aimed at restarting a multilateral nuclear forum as "very
useful."
Bosworth plans to meet South Korea's top nuclear envoy Wi Sung-lac at the foreign
ministry building in central Seoul at 4 p.m. to brief him on the outcome of his
trip, followed by a meeting with Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan from 5:30 p.m.,
officials said. He will then hold a press conference at 6 p.m.
China's official Xinhua news agency quoted Bosworth as saying shortly before
departure that "It was a very useful set of meetings." The U.S. envoy held the
first direct talks with Pyongyang since U.S. President Barack Obama came to power
in January, seeking to revive the six-party dialogue on the North's nuclear
program.
Bosworth is widely believed to have sat down with the North's Vice Foreign
Minister Kang Sok-ju, although there has been no confirmation by either the U.S.
or North Korea.
A Seoul foreign ministry official said, requesting anonymity, that Bosworth's
remarks on the talks could be viewed as a "positive" sign.
"Special Representative Bosworth visited North Korea at a time when the six-way
talks are in a protracted deadlock. When the veteran diplomat used the words
'very useful,' he appears to have signaled progress," the official said.
North Korean media gave no further information, only releasing a one-sentence
dispatch about his departure shortly before 11:30 a.m.
Bosworth is also scheduled to travel to Beijing, Tokyo and Moscow before flying
back to the U.S. next week.
lcd@yna.co.kr
hkkim@yna.co.kr
(END)