Schedule for U.S.-N. Korea talks to be announced next week: security adviser
SEOUL. KAZINFORM - The United States and North Korea are anticipated to announce the schedule of their working-level talks next week, the special security adviser to President Moon Jae-in said Saturday, Yonhap reports.
The remark came after U.S. President Donald Trump andNorth Korean leader Kim held an impromptu meeting at the inter-Korean border onJune 30 and agreed to revive working-level talks that had stalled since thecollapse of their second summit in Vietnam in February.
«It seems the schedule for the working-leveltalks will be announced next week,» Moon Chung-in said, claiming LeeDo-hoon, Seoul's chief nuclear envoy, met with his U.S. counterpart, StephenBiegun, in Germany recently.
The adviser claimed the working-level talks will helpWashington and Pyongyang narrow differences in denuclearization.
During the two countries' meeting in Vietnam,Washington claimed it will make efforts to vitalize the North Korean economywhen Pyongyang dismantles all nuclear facilities, weapons and ballisticmissiles.
North Korea, on the other hand, requested the liftingof five U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang after 2016 in return for shutting downthe nuclear complex in Yongbyon.
«The U.S. may not stick to its previous stanceand instead seek to have North Korea shut down the Yongbyon nuclear complex andreport all domestic nuclear facilities,» Moon said, claiming Pyongyang mayalso come up with a new suggestion.
The adviser said Washington may ease sanctions againstNorth Korea once Pyongyang completely shuts down the Yongbyon nuclear complex.
«It is possible that the Kaesong industrial parkand Mount Kumgang tours will resume,» he added.
South Korea closed the Kaesong Industrial Complex in2016 in retaliation against the North's nuclear and missile provocations. TheMount Kumgang tours came to a halt in 2008 after a South Korean tourist wasshot dead by a North Korean guard.