Stephen Biegun is on a four-day trip to Seoul and Tokyo to discuss the denuclearization of North Korea.
Seoul, South Korea:
US Deputy Secretary of State and envoy to North Korea Stephen Biegun poured cold water on Wednesday on reports that Washington had requested a meeting with Pyongyang officials after nuclear talks stalled .
Biegun is on a four-day trip to Seoul and Tokyo to discuss the denuclearization of North Korea.
The visit sparked speculation in the South that Washington was trying to revive diplomacy with Pyongyang before the US presidential election in November – even though the North has repeatedly stated that it has no interest in discussing it.
“I have seen press reports that the North Koreans are not ready to meet me during this visit,” Biegun told reporters after talks with his South Korean counterpart.
“It’s a bit strange because we didn’t ask the North Koreans for a visit,” he said, adding: “Let me be clear, we didn’t ask for a visit.” .
Discussions on Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal have stalled since a Hanoi summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un collapsed in early 2019 on what the North would be ready to give up in exchange for reduced sanctions.
Kim declared in December the end of the moratoria on nuclear and ballistic missile testing, and Pyongyang has repeatedly said that he has no plans to continue talks unless Washington abandons what he describes as “hostile” policies towards the North.
Biegun also suggested last month that another meeting between Trump and Kim was unlikely, even if there was hope for progress in the nuclear negotiations.
The US envoy said on Wednesday that the North Koreans “would find us ready” at any time to resume talks.
Rumors surrounding the possibility of another summit swirled last week after former US national security adviser John Bolton said Trump could continue another meeting with Kim in October if it allowed him to re-elect his presidents. chances.
But hours before Biegun’s arrival in Seoul on Tuesday, the North again ruled out the possibility of resuming talks, saying Pyongyang had “no intention of meeting face to face with the United States”.
Northern state media reported that Chief Kim paid tribute to his grandfather and predecessor Kim Il Sung in his mausoleum in the Kumsusan Sun Palace on Wednesday, the 26th anniversary of his death.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
