Asia-Pacific

US envoy arrives in Seoul en route to Pyongyang

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-12-06 18:36

SEOUL: Stephen Bosworth, US special envoy to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), arrived in Seoul on Sunday before his scheduled visit to Pyongyang for a US-DPRK bilateral meeting.

Flying from London, Bosworth landed at South Korea's Incheon International Airport at local time 04:00 pm (0700 GMT) and directly headed for Seoul, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported.

As US President Barack Obama's special representative for DPRK policy, Bosworth visited Seoul before he makes a three-day visit to Pyongyang where he is expected to meet DPRK's Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok-ju.

During his stay in Seoul, Bosworth will meet with South Korea's high-ranking officials, including Seoul's top nuclear envoy Wi Sung-lac and Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan, to check up on the issues to be brought up at the US-DPRK negotiation table.

The US envoy, accompanied by four other members including Sung Kim, US negotiator to the six-party talks, will leave for the DPRK Tuesday morning from the Osan Air Force Base.

Bosworth's trip to Pyongyang is reportedly made in purpose of persuading the DPRK back to the six-way nuclear talks.

The US has repeatedly stressed that it is not interested in engaging in any nuclear dialogue besides the six-way talks that involve the US, China, Russia, Japan, and South Korea and the DPRK.

Despite of heightened attention on the upcoming trip from the international community, local experts and government officials are warning against excessive expectations, local media said.

Considering the trip marks as the first US-DPRK dialogue made since the inauguration of the Obama administration, it is highly unlikely that the trip alone is enough to bring the DPRK back to the multilateral negotiation table, according to Yonhap.

It is also uncertain whether the US envoy will have a chance to meet with DPRK top leader Kim Jong-il during his visit, Yonhap added.

Wrapping up his stay in Pyongyang on Thursday, Bosworth will return to Seoul, where he will brief the Seoul government on the result of the trip.

He will fly to Beijing on Friday, and head for Washington on December 15 after visiting Tokyo and Moscow.