BEIJING (Yonhap News) ― Chief nuclear envoys from North Korea and China held talks in Beijing and shared “in-depth views” on ways to resume the six-party talks on ending the Norths’ nuclear weapons program, China’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
A delegation headed by North Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan arrived in Beijing on Monday, nearly three weeks after Kim held talks in Pyongyang with his Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei. The North Korean delegation included Pyongyang’s chief envoy to the six-party talks, Ri Yong-ho, and his deputy, Choe Son-hui.
Kim and Ri held talks with Wu in Beijing on the same day as their arrival and they “exchanged in-depth views on resumption of the six-party talks,” the Chinese ministry said in a brief statement.
Kim and Ri are scheduled to attend a Wednesday conference that was organized by China’s foreign ministry to mark the 10th anniversary of the launch of the six-party talks. The six-party process, involving the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan, has been stalled since late 2008.
China has proposed an informal six-party meeting following the Beijing event, but South Korea, the U.S. and Japan are cautious about sending their nuclear envoys to the Wednesday conference at a time when North Korea’s seriousness for dialogue over its nuclear programs remains untested.