WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (NNN-YONHAP) — The U.S. envoy for North Korea will meet with his counterpart from the regime next week to discuss the next steps in dismantling the country’s nuclear weapons program, the State Department said Thursday.
Special Representative Stephen Biegun will travel to Seoul Sunday for follow-up meetings with his North Korean counterpart, known to be the former ambassador to Spain, Kim Hyok-chol.
This compilation image shows U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun (L) and former North Korean Ambassador to Spain Kim Hyok-chol. photo courtesy ofYonhap)
The two sides will discuss “next steps to advance our objective of the final fully verified denuclearization of North Korea,” the department said in statement, without revealing the date or location of the talks.
They will also discuss ways to “make further progress on all the commitments the two leaders made in Singapore,” it added, referring to the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June.
Trump and Kim agreed at their first summit to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for security guarantees for Pyongyang.
A second summit is planned for late February, likely in Vietnam.
Trump said Thursday that the date and venue will be announced early next week.
In Seoul, Biegun also plans to hold talks with his South Korean counterpart, Lee Do-hoon.
–NNN-YONHAP
