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Ri Su-yong, vice chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea and director of its international affairs department, stops over at Beijing Capital International Airport en route to Laos on Mar. 26. (Yonhap News)
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Expected to discuss ways to resume North Korea-US dialogue
South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha will be meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington, DC, on Mar. 29. It was announced on Mar. 26 that Kang and Pompeo will meet to discuss ideas for resuming North Korea-US negotiations, which have been at a standstill since the second North Korea-US summit. It will be the first high-level meeting between the two sides since speculation recently began to emerge over “difficulties” in bilateral relations. The meeting between Kang and Pompeo is being timed to coincide with the former’s attendance of the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Conference in New York on Mar. 29. “The two countries are in the final stages of coordination, and an announcement is to be made at a mutually convenient time,” said Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Kim In-chul in a regular briefing on Mar. 26. Kang appears likely to travel to Washington meet with Pompeo immediately after attending the UN conference on the morning of Mar. 29. During the meeting, the two ministers are expected to share information on recent developments regarding North Korea – including the possibility of leader Kim Jong-un visiting Russia – and consider approaches for resuming dialogue. Observers are watching to see how the two sides resolve the differences in their approaches to North Korea. Meanwhile, Ri Su-yong, vice chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea and director of its international affairs department, stopped in Beijing on Mar. 26 en route to Laos, raising speculation that he might meet with US State Department Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun, who has been in the Chinese capital since Mar. 24. By Kim Ji-eun, staff reporter Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
