U.S. nuclear envoy Biegun to attend working-level talks in N. Korea on Wednesday: State Dept.
- 5 years ago
It might be the new year, but diplomacy continues between the United States and North Korea.
U.S. Special representative Stephen Biegun has been meeting with officials here in South Korea since he arrived on Sunday.
And now we know that he'll be going to the North tomorrow... to meet with his counterparts there.
Our Foreign ministry correspondent Lee Ji-won is on the phone with the latest on when and where that meeting will be happening.
Jiwon, fill us in.
Devin, the U.S. State Department released a media note yesterday, saying that Biegun will travel to Pyeongyang on February 6th to meet with his North Korean counterpart Kim Hyok-chol.
It said the meeting is to prepare for the upcoming second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump, and also to try and make more progress on the commitments the two leaders made at their Singapore summit...
namely: complete denuclearization, transforming North Korea-U.S. relations, and building a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
We do not yet know which route Biegun will be taking to get to Pyeongyang tomorrow.
By car,... it would take around 4 hours, so there's a possibility that Biegun will fly.
And, according to a South Korean official, there's a high chance that Biegun will be spending the night in the North.
So Ji-won, the next Kim-Trump summit is probably just weeks away. Specifically, what can you tell us about what the two sides will be talking about tomorrow in Pyeongyang?
Sure Devin. Biegun said a few days ago, that they will be discussing the corresponding measures Washington will take in exchange for Pyeongyang's commitments to dismantle its nuclear facilities.
Kim Jong-un, in his Pyeongyang summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, promised to dismantle and destroy the Yeongbyeong nuclear facility.
Kim had also talked about inviting international experts to verify the complete destruction of the missle test site at Dongchang-ri and the nuclear test site at Punggye-ri.
It's said that some of the measures being considered by the U.S.... are establishing a joint liaison office, declaring an end to the Korean War,... and providing humanitarian aid.
So it'll likely be a discussion of what each side is willing to give and take.
Now as for the summit, President Trump recently said that the time and venue has been decided, but he hasn't announced either of those yet.
It's widely speculated that it'll be in the Vietnamese city of Danang on around February 25th.
So with that in place, Biegun is expected to be discussing the logistics and final details of the summit with Kim Hyok-chol on Wednesday.
U.S. Special representative Stephen Biegun has been meeting with officials here in South Korea since he arrived on Sunday.
And now we know that he'll be going to the North tomorrow... to meet with his counterparts there.
Our Foreign ministry correspondent Lee Ji-won is on the phone with the latest on when and where that meeting will be happening.
Jiwon, fill us in.
Devin, the U.S. State Department released a media note yesterday, saying that Biegun will travel to Pyeongyang on February 6th to meet with his North Korean counterpart Kim Hyok-chol.
It said the meeting is to prepare for the upcoming second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump, and also to try and make more progress on the commitments the two leaders made at their Singapore summit...
namely: complete denuclearization, transforming North Korea-U.S. relations, and building a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
We do not yet know which route Biegun will be taking to get to Pyeongyang tomorrow.
By car,... it would take around 4 hours, so there's a possibility that Biegun will fly.
And, according to a South Korean official, there's a high chance that Biegun will be spending the night in the North.
So Ji-won, the next Kim-Trump summit is probably just weeks away. Specifically, what can you tell us about what the two sides will be talking about tomorrow in Pyeongyang?
Sure Devin. Biegun said a few days ago, that they will be discussing the corresponding measures Washington will take in exchange for Pyeongyang's commitments to dismantle its nuclear facilities.
Kim Jong-un, in his Pyeongyang summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, promised to dismantle and destroy the Yeongbyeong nuclear facility.
Kim had also talked about inviting international experts to verify the complete destruction of the missle test site at Dongchang-ri and the nuclear test site at Punggye-ri.
It's said that some of the measures being considered by the U.S.... are establishing a joint liaison office, declaring an end to the Korean War,... and providing humanitarian aid.
So it'll likely be a discussion of what each side is willing to give and take.
Now as for the summit, President Trump recently said that the time and venue has been decided, but he hasn't announced either of those yet.
It's widely speculated that it'll be in the Vietnamese city of Danang on around February 25th.
So with that in place, Biegun is expected to be discussing the logistics and final details of the summit with Kim Hyok-chol on Wednesday.