Our top story this morning...
South Korea's nuclear envoy is in Washington to meet his American counterpart amid rising tensions between North Korea and the U.S. following the regime's continued development of weapons and the discovery of undeclared missile bases.
The two allies are expected to hold talks aimed at keeping them on the same page when it comes to dealing with Pyeongyang.
Kim Hyo-sun reports.


A new bilateral consultative body between Seoul and Washington to discuss North Korea's denuclearization is expected to be inaugurated Tuesday, local time,... as nuclear negotiators from both countries are scheduled to meet in the U.S.
Arriving in Washington on Monday,... South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, Lee Do-hoon said they will discuss all areas that require close bilateral cooperation.

"The discussions have been expanded to include more parties beyond the Unification Ministry, and will be carried out in a flexible manner. We expect to reach a great bilateral agreement."

Lee also said high-level talks between North Korea and the U.S. should take place soon,... explaining that the Trump administration wants to hold a second North Korea-U.S. summit in early January.

"As the North Korea-U.S. summit has been delayed, we aim to talk about what the situation is like now, and discuss how to work on the issue going forward."

Joining Lee for his meeting with Stephen Biegun, the U.S. State Department official in charge of Korea affairs, are officials from Seoul's Unification Ministry and National Security Office.
As the allies are expected to discuss an inter-Korean rail connection project,... it remains to be seen whether the two sides can reduce their differences over the matter.
The U.S. State Department issued a statement on Monday saying the two allies will discuss the continued diplomatic efforts on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, UN sanctions on the regime and inter-Korean cooperation.
Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.