US Special Envoy Biegun To Visit Seoul, Tokyo To Discuss North Korea - State Dept.

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th December, 2019) US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun will travel to Japan and South Korea next week to meet with his counterparts to discuss North Korea, the Department of State said in a press release.

"Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun will travel to Seoul and Tokyo December 15-19 to meet with his counterparts in the Republic of Korea and Japan and continue close allied coordination on North Korea," the release said on Friday.

Beigun will be accompanied by Deputy Special Representative for North Korea Alex Wong and National Security Council Senior Director for Asian Affairs Allison Hooker.

On Wednesday, US Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft said during a UN Security Council meeting on non-proliferation that Washington is prepared to be flexible in denuclearization talks with North Korea.

On Saturday, the North Korean Ambassador to the United Nations said that denuclearization was off the table in talks with the United States, prompting US President Donald Trump to urge country to denuclearize as it had promised.

In late November, North Korea launched two ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan that flew at about 380 kilometers (236 miles) at an altitude of 97 kilometers.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold a trilateral summit in the Chinese city of Chengdu on December 24 that will focus on the de-escalation of tensions around North Korea.