Seoul's foreign ministry open to inter-Korean meeting on sidelines of security forum

• Report rights infringement
• published: 21 Jun 2016
• views: 602

외교부, 동북아협력대화에서 남북간 자연스러운 만남 있을 수 In Beijing today... are high-level officials of all six member states of the long-stalled six party denuclearization talks. They've gathered for an annual security talks in the Chinese capital. More light is shed on this year's event as for the first since 2012 North Korea is taking part in the multi-party dialogue. Our foreign affairs correspondent Kwon Soa has more on the invisible yet very real tension at the Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue 2016. Dubbed the "mini-six-party talks,"... the annual Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue brings together officials and scholars from all six countries -- South Korea, the United States, China, Japan, Russia... AND North Korea. Attention is focused on the level of the North's participation,... as it's the first time Pyongyang has sent a delegation since 2012... and the talks are coming five months after the regime's fourth nuclear test. Seoul's foreign ministry hasn't ruled out making contact with the North Korean delegation,... represented by Choe Son-hui , the deputy director for North American affairs. South Korea's delegation is headed by six-party talks vice negotiator Kim Kun. "A casual bilateral meeting with North Korea could happen on site." The U.S. made clear Monday that Sung Kim,... its special representative for North Korea Policy,... has no plans to meet with North Korean officials. While Seoul's foreign ministry isn't making any predictions on what the North's intentions in Beijing are,... ... experts say Pyongyang wants to show the international community it's not a troublemaker and that it's open to dialogue,... though not when it comes to denuclearization. "It's likely that North Korea will use the venue as a means to promote its intention to continue its policy of simultaneous economic and nuclear development." On the other hand, Seoul sees the forum as an opportunity to emphasize the futility of the North's nuclear program. "In line with that,... the government released a list of 130 items that could be linked to the North's nuclear or missile development,... as part of South Korea's unilateral sanctions on the regime. Kwon Soa, Arirang News." Visit ‘Arirang News’ Official Pages Facebook(NEWS): http://www.facebook.com/newsarirang Homepage: http://www.arirang.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/arirangtv Twitter: http://twitter.com/arirangworld Instagram: http://instagram.com/arirangworld