South Korea’s chief nuclear envoy will visit Washington this week to discuss the allies’ implementation of new U.N. and unilateral sanctions on North Korea, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
Kim Hong-kyun, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, will travel to Washington on Thursday to meet with his U.S. counterpart Ambassador Sung Kim, for talks on North Korea, ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck said in a regular press briefing.
“The two sides will share assessments of the political situation on the Korean Peninsula, including the possibility of North Korean provocations, on various cooperation means to induce a change in North Korea’s behavior through the faithful implementation of Security Council Resolution 2270 and each nation’s unilateral sanctions, and hold in-depth talks on major upcoming diplomatic events,” he said.
Last week, the U.N. Security Council adopted a new set of sanctions punishing North Korea for its recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch that violated past resolutions. The measures include mandatory inspection of all cargo going into and out of the North and a ban on the country’s exports of coal and other mineral resources.
Since then, Washington and Seoul have also slapped unilateral sanctions on Pyongyang.
It will be Kim’s first trip overseas since taking office last week as the new chief delegate to the now-stalled six-party talks on North Korea’s denuclearization.
He is scheduled to stay in Washington for three days. (Yonhap)
