Unification minister to meet U.S. nuclear envoy to discuss N. Korea

SEOUL, June 22 (Yonhap) -- Unification Minister Lee In-young is set to meet a U.S. nuclear envoy on Tuesday to discuss a coordinated approach in jump-starting stalled denuclearization talks and chilled inter-Korean relations, his office said.

Sung Kim, the new U.S. special representative for North Korea, is scheduled to make a courtesy call to the minister, according to the ministry. It is expected to focus on drawing Washington's support for Seoul's efforts to resume cross-border cooperation with North Korea.

Kim also plans to meet other high-ranking ministry officials, including Vice Unification Minister Choi Young-jun, for consultations on North Korea, according to the ministry.

The U.S. nuclear envoy arrived in Seoul over the weekend for a five-day trip. In a trilateral meeting with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts on Monday, he said that the U.S. looks forward to positive response from North Korea for its dialogue overture.

His visit here came after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un urged his country to be ready for both dialogue and confrontation with the U.S. at a key party meeting last week, raising cautious optimism that Pyongyang might be preparing to come out for denuclearization talks.

South Korea has sought to bring the long-stalled cross-border relations back on track by seeking exchanges with the North since Pyongyang blew up a joint liaison office in its border town of Kaesong last summer in protest of anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent from the South.

kokobj@yna.co.kr
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