hankyoreh

The two Koreas and China will hold working-level talks later this week in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang to discuss the provision of energy assistance to North Korea under an aid-for-disarmament deal signed early last year, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

The meeting on Thursday and Friday comes despite the protracted stalemate over Pyongyang's agreed-upon declaration of its nuclear stockpile.

It would mark the third session of its kind, following previous meetings held in November and December.

"In this round of consultations, the three nations plan to discuss the implementation of non-heavy fuel aid and the future schedule of such provision," ministry spokesman Cho Hee-yong said.

He added that the provision of energy-related facilities and materials requires a great deal of time due to technical problems.

South Korea, the U.S., China, and Russia agreed to provide 950,000 tons of heavy fuel oil or equivalent aid in economic or energy assistance in exchange for North Korea disabling its key nuclear facilities and declaring all its nuclear programs under the February deal.

Japan, the other member at the six-way talks on the North's nuclear program, refuses to provide aid unless the issue of Pyongyang's kidnapping of Japanese citizens is addressed.

Pyongyang has yet to fully declare its nuclear program, according to U.S. officials.

Seoul's delegation to this week's meeting will be led by Lim Sung-nam, head of the ministry's North Korean nuclear affairs bureau. Lim doubles as South Korea's number two negotiator at the six-way nuclear talks.




SEOUL, Feb, 19 (Yonhap)