U.S. to send special envoy to North Korea

Washington, 10 November (WashingtonTV)—US President Barack Obama has agreed to send a senior diplomat to North Korea, in an effort to bring Pyongyang back to the six-party disarmament talks, administration officials said on Monday.

No date has yet been given for the visit by Stephen Bosworth, the US special representative for North Korea, reports the Bloomberg news network.

North Korea invited Bosworth to visit three months ago, but until recently, the White House said it would only engage in the six-party talks, which also involve South Korea, Japan, China and Russia.

The mission will be the first direct talks with the government in Pyongyang in more than a year.

The administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the visit will focus solely on resuming the six-party talks, which North Korea quit in April, in protest to United Nations condemnation of its long-range missile test, reports the Washington Post.

Since April, North Korea has test-fired more than a dozen missiles and carried out a second nuclear test, prompting the UN Security Council to impose new sanctions in June.

Sources: Bloomberg news network, Washington Post

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