|
U.S. Special Representative Sung Kim has said he is open to
talks with North Korea at any time and without preconditions,
but Pyongyang has so far rebuffed those overtures, accusing
Washington of maintaining hostile policies such as sanctions and
military drills.
Last month North Korea test fired an ICBM for the first time
since 2017, and U.S. and South Korean officials say there are
signs it could also be preparing to resume nuclear weapons
tests.
Kim, and his deputy, Jung Pak, will meet with South Korean
officials, including nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk, during a
five-day visit starting Monday, the State Department said in a
statement.
The visit underscores the U.S. and South Korean commitment to
ongoing close collaboration on North Korean issues as they "seek
to advance complete denuclearization and permanent peace on the
Korean Peninsula," the statement said.
The United States is pushing the U.N. Security Council to
further sanction North Korea over its renewed ballistic missile
launches by banning tobacco, halving oil exports to the country
and blacklisting the Lazarus hacking group, according to a draft
resolution reviewed by Reuters.
South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, a conservative who
is set to take office on May 10, has called for stronger ties
with the United States to deter the North.
His nominee for unification minister, who handles relations with
the North, said on Thursday a Yoon administration might look "hardline"
and "hawkish" as it sought to build up its military capability
to better deter North Korean threats but he would work to create
momentum for dialogue to defuse tensions.
(Reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
