North Korea - N. Korea asks US to open liaison offices for nuclear talks

North Korea's chief envoy for the six-party talks on the nation's nuclear development programme has called on the United States to open a liaison office in both countries' capital cities, according to sources familiar with the matter.

North Korea made the proposal during a closed-door seminar in New York on Saturday.

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, who made the request, said it was the wish of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the sources said.

The reclusive communist country's request to open a liaison office in Washington and Pyongyang within the year could be part of a diplomatic offensive to take advantage of its recent nuclear agreement with the United States, observers said.

Before making the request at the seminar, Ri told the US delegation, which included former diplomats and experts, that Washington should change its "hostile policy" toward Pyongyang, the sources said.

Referring to last month's bilateral accord in Beijing in which North Korea agreed to halt its uranium enrichment activities, Ri was quoted as saying International Atomic Energy Agency officials will soon visit Pyongyang, indicating the country's determination to enter full-scale negotiations with the IAEA in late March or early April.

The Beijing accord also called for the promotion of cultural and sports exchanges between the two countries. Ri reportedly disclosed a plan to send North Korea's national symphony orchestra and a taekwondo delegation to the United States in May or June.

A provision to open liaison offices was also included in the previous US-North Korea nuclear agreement in October 1994, but was not ultimately realised.

North Korea hopes that by stationing diplomatic officials in both capital cities, the two countries, which have no official diplomatic ties, can build closer communications, promote confidence-building and eventually normalise relations. It also hopes that the liaison office may be upgraded to an embassy in the future, the observers said.

The forum was held after the US government approved entry into the country for Ri and other officials in the North Korean delegation following the Beijing accord.

Through the talks, the US delegation aimed to convey that Washington's top priority is the abandonment of North Korea's nuclear ambitions, as well as to learn Pyongyang's demands for improving bilateral relations.

The countries participating in the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear programme are Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea, Russia and the United States.

Yoshikazu Shirakawa

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Business & Investment Opportunities

YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Consulting, Investment and Management, focusing three main economic sectors: International PR; Healthcare & Wellness;and Tourism & Hospitality. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programs. Sign up with twitter to get news updates with @SaigonBusinessC. Thanks.