North Korea-U.S. discuss freezing the regime's nuclear assets during negotiations: NYT
- 5 years ago
So with Pyeongyang and Washington preparing for the second summit... one of the questions that many are asking in regards to the talks... is the *content of the negotiations -- the denuclearization steps.
Our Lee Ji-won reports.
It is still unclear exactly what the high-level officials from North Korea and the U.S. discussed during their high-level talks last week,... but one of the items on the agenda was reportedly the "freezing" of the regime's nuclear assets.
Soon after the talks, the New York Times reported, citing officials from several countries briefed on the talks, that the two sides had discussed freezing the North's nuclear fuel and weapons production during negotiations.
This is so that the regime's arsenal does not grow while talks drag on.
Previously there have been reports that North Korea is continuing its nuclear weapons program even after the Singapore summit,... which the U.S. said does not mean the North Korean leader's will to denuclearize has diminished as there was no agreement on that reached between the two sides yet.
Many observers say this is an intermediate stage to the complete denuclearization of North Korea, and that the U.S. is taking the "phased" approach.
"Freezing" the nuclear program used to be the end point of North Korea-U.S. talks before,... when the North certainly did not have nuclear material. But with it now claiming that it has nuclear warheads,... this freezing would be necessary to get to the end goal of the full dismantlement of Pyeongyang's nuclear program."
Experts say this would also make it easier for the Trump administration to ease parts of its sanctions on the North for the regime's initial denuclearization steps.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg said preparations for Kim Jong-un and President Trump's second summit are taking place in Vietnam.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg said that the February summit is likely to take place in Hanoi, the capital of the Southeast Asian country.
But it also said that Danang, site of the 2017 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, and Ho Chi Minh City, in the south, have also been discussed as possible venues.
More details on the summit and the denuclearization negotiations are to be unveiled after the working-level talks in Sweden.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.
Our Lee Ji-won reports.
It is still unclear exactly what the high-level officials from North Korea and the U.S. discussed during their high-level talks last week,... but one of the items on the agenda was reportedly the "freezing" of the regime's nuclear assets.
Soon after the talks, the New York Times reported, citing officials from several countries briefed on the talks, that the two sides had discussed freezing the North's nuclear fuel and weapons production during negotiations.
This is so that the regime's arsenal does not grow while talks drag on.
Previously there have been reports that North Korea is continuing its nuclear weapons program even after the Singapore summit,... which the U.S. said does not mean the North Korean leader's will to denuclearize has diminished as there was no agreement on that reached between the two sides yet.
Many observers say this is an intermediate stage to the complete denuclearization of North Korea, and that the U.S. is taking the "phased" approach.
"Freezing" the nuclear program used to be the end point of North Korea-U.S. talks before,... when the North certainly did not have nuclear material. But with it now claiming that it has nuclear warheads,... this freezing would be necessary to get to the end goal of the full dismantlement of Pyeongyang's nuclear program."
Experts say this would also make it easier for the Trump administration to ease parts of its sanctions on the North for the regime's initial denuclearization steps.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg said preparations for Kim Jong-un and President Trump's second summit are taking place in Vietnam.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg said that the February summit is likely to take place in Hanoi, the capital of the Southeast Asian country.
But it also said that Danang, site of the 2017 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, and Ho Chi Minh City, in the south, have also been discussed as possible venues.
More details on the summit and the denuclearization negotiations are to be unveiled after the working-level talks in Sweden.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.