Seoul, Aug 21: North Korea has named Vice Foreign Minister Kim Yong-Il to lead its delegation to Beijing next week for six-nation nuclear crisis talks, Seoul's Yonhap news agency reported today. Kim will be accompanied by Ri Gun, Deputy Director-General of American affairs at the north's foreign ministry, Yonhap said quoting western diplomatic sources in Beijing. Kim, formerly director-general in charge of the ministry's Asian affairs, played a key role in organising the upcoming talks when he met with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Pyongyang earlier this month, it said. Ri was the top North Korean delegate to the previous round of three-way talks held in Beijing in April, it said. The North Korean delegation consisting of about 10 members is to fly into Beijing on Tuesday, one day before the August 27-29 talks begin, it added.


Top officials from the United States, China, Russia, Japan and the two Koreas will meet at the three-day talks to resolve a 10-month stand-off over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.

Bureau Report