US nuke envoy arrives in S. Korea for talks

Seoul, April 18

A senior US nuclear envoy arrived in South Korea on Monday for talks to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula, according to the South Korean Foreign Ministry.

Sung Kim, US special representative for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), met Noh Kyu-duk, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs in Seoul, Xinhua news agency reported.

During the meeting, Kim was quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying Washington shared Seoul's concerns about "the DPRK's escalatory actions".

The US envoy noted that the US and South Korea will continue to work closely to respond "responsibly and decisively to the provocative behavior in the united context and beyond."

Regarding the DPRK's recent test-firing of a new tactical guided weapon, Noh said close cooperation between Seoul and Washington will be significant to go through the critical situation.

The South Korean envoy added that the allies would need to prepare for and guard against all possibilities although a door to dialogue should be left open.

The DPRK's official Korean Central News agency reported Sunday that top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un observed the successful test-launch of a new-type tactical guided weapon.

The US envoy is slated to stay here until Friday to meet with South Korean government officials as well as officials from the presidential transition team of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol who is set to take office on May 10.