ROK, US nuke envoys discuss humanitarian aid to DPRK

SEOUL - Nuclear envoys of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States met here on Monday on humanitarian aid to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), urging Pyongyang to return to the dialogue table.

Sung Kim, the US special representative for the DPRK who arrived in Seoul on Saturday for a four-day trip, held a meeting with Noh Kyu-duk, the ROK's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs.

"We discussed possible humanitarian assistance to the DPRK," Kim was quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying in a press conference after the meeting.

Kim reaffirmed US support for inter-Korean dialogue and engagement, saying that the United States will continue to lend support to inter-Korean humanitarian cooperation projects.

Noh told reporters that the two sides discussed ways to cooperate with the DPRK in humanitarian areas, including healthcare, quarantine against infectious diseases, drinking water and hygiene, as well as the humanitarian support for the DPRK through international organizations and non-governmental bodies.

The US envoy renewed his call for the resumption of dialogue with the DPRK, saying he continued to stand ready to meet with his DPRK counterparts "anywhere, at any time".

During his visit to Seoul in June, Kim said the United States can meet with the DPRK "anywhere, anytime without preconditions".

After the meeting with Noh, Kim reportedly met in Seoul with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov who arrived here on Saturday for a six-day trip.

Morgulov will hold a meeting with his ROK counterpart on Tuesday to discuss bilateral cooperative ways for substantive progress in the complete denuclearization of and the permanent peace settlement on the Korean Peninsula, according to the South Korean Foreign Ministry.