US-N Korea Talks Can Be Part Of Discussion During Ivanka's Visit To S Korea: Ministry

Umer Jamshaid Published February 20, 2018 | 03:59 PM

Diplomatic efforts to arrange rare talks between the United States and North Korea could be part of the topics of discussion when Ivanka Trump visits South Korea and talks with officials this week, the foreign ministry hinted Tuesday, Yonhap report said

SEOUL,(APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Feb, 2018 ) :Diplomatic efforts to arrange rare talks between the United States and North Korea could be part of the topics of discussion when Ivanka Trump visits South Korea and talks with officials this week, the foreign ministry hinted Tuesday, Yonhap report said.

Asked if exploratory contact between Washington and Pyongyang ahead of their potential talks to negotiate North Korea's denuclearization would be discussed during Ivanka's trip to South Korea, foreign ministry spokesman Noh Kyu-duk said affirmatively, "Issues of mutual interest could naturally be on the table during the process of the visit." "The upcoming visit by adviser Ivanka is intended to celebrate the successful hosting of the PyeongChang Olympics and highlight the mutual understanding of the South Korea-U.S.

alliance," the spokesman said. The ministry is currently reviewing the role Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will be playing in regard to the visit by the daughter of President Donald Trump, he also added.

Ivanka is set to arrive in Seoul on Friday to attend the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics set for Sunday. Ivanka's detailed itinerary in the South is currently under discussion and will be released by the US side, he noted.

North Korea's participation in the Olympics and related talks with South Korea ahead of the event have opened up a rare opportunity to engage with the reclusive country after its several intercontinental ballistic missile test-launches escalated tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

But the prospect of the much-needed talks on North Korea's denuclearization remains uncertain with both Washington and Pyongyang appear not ready to make concessions.