U.S. discussing exchanging liaison officers with North Korea: CNN
- 5 years ago
Bidding to build formal diplomatic relations between North Korea and the U.S.,... it's being reported the two sides are strongly mulling the idea of exchanging liaison officers.
News of the talks comes about a week before the second Kim-Trump summit in Vietnam.
Lee Seung-jae has more.
Citing two sources familiar with the discussions,... CNN reports North Korea and the U.S. are seriously considering a possible exchange of liaison officers,... in an incremental step towards building formal diplomatic relations.
According to the sources,... several U.S. liaison officers could be sent to set up office in North Korea,... led by a senior foreign service officer who speaks Korean.
While in its preliminary phase,... the talks could mark a significant step in negotiations between North Korea and the U.S.
A similar agreement was reached in 1994,... with an "Agreed Framework" leading to extensive discussions over exchanging liaison officers,... beginning with up to seven officers each.
However, around a year later,... North Korea scrapped the plan,... after a U.S. helicopter was shot down when it crossed over the Demilitarized Zone.
While the exchange could improve ties between the two sides,... watchers in the U.S. are cautious,... saying the regime has yet to show a strong willingness to denuclearize.
While North Korea has halted its nuclear tests and sharply toned down its rhetoric,... President Trump's Director of National Intelligence said last month that North Korea is "unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capability".
While the U.S. State Department declined to comment on the CNN report, if confirmed, it would be a significant gesture on the part of the U.S. to get North Korea to move forward on denuclearization.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.
News of the talks comes about a week before the second Kim-Trump summit in Vietnam.
Lee Seung-jae has more.
Citing two sources familiar with the discussions,... CNN reports North Korea and the U.S. are seriously considering a possible exchange of liaison officers,... in an incremental step towards building formal diplomatic relations.
According to the sources,... several U.S. liaison officers could be sent to set up office in North Korea,... led by a senior foreign service officer who speaks Korean.
While in its preliminary phase,... the talks could mark a significant step in negotiations between North Korea and the U.S.
A similar agreement was reached in 1994,... with an "Agreed Framework" leading to extensive discussions over exchanging liaison officers,... beginning with up to seven officers each.
However, around a year later,... North Korea scrapped the plan,... after a U.S. helicopter was shot down when it crossed over the Demilitarized Zone.
While the exchange could improve ties between the two sides,... watchers in the U.S. are cautious,... saying the regime has yet to show a strong willingness to denuclearize.
While North Korea has halted its nuclear tests and sharply toned down its rhetoric,... President Trump's Director of National Intelligence said last month that North Korea is "unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capability".
While the U.S. State Department declined to comment on the CNN report, if confirmed, it would be a significant gesture on the part of the U.S. to get North Korea to move forward on denuclearization.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.