Working-level talks for Hanoi summit to begin soon

Posted on : 2019-02-20 16:57 KST Modified on : 2019-02-20 16:57 KST
Kim Hyok-chol and Stephen Biegun expected to head preparatory negotiations
US and North Korean flags fly  next to each other in front of the State Guest House in Hanoi on Feb. 19. (Yonhap News)
US and North Korean flags fly next to each other in front of the State Guest House in Hanoi on Feb. 19. (Yonhap News)

Working-level talks aimed at coordinating the agenda of the second North Korea-US summit are likely to soon take place in Hanoi, Vietnam, between North Korea State Affairs Commission Special Representative for US Affairs Kim Hyok-chol and US State Department Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun. Since the two countries’ security and protocol chiefs have already arrived in Hanoi, negotiations are expected to proceed vigorously along the separate tracks of the agenda and protocol during the week that remains before the summit.

Kim Hyok-chol departed from Pyongyang and reached the stopover point of Beijing on Feb. 19, in the company of Choe Kang-il, acting director general for the North Korean Foreign Ministry's North American affairs bureau, and Kim Song-hye, head of the unification strategy office at the United Front Department of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK). After arriving at Beijing Capital International Airport on an Air Koryo flight that departed from Beijing that morning, the North Korean officials were driven away. Kim and the other officials will presumably soon be on their way to Hanoi, the site of the summit.

The Americans have also been taking steps to prepare for the working-level negotiations. US State Department Deputy Secretary of State for North Korea Alex Wong, who is one of the members of the working-level team, and other officials departed from the US on Feb. 17. Biegun is expected to head to Hanoi today or tomorrow. In that case, the working-level talks between Biegun and Kim Hyok-chol would begin on Feb. 21 or 22, Hanoi time.

Preliminary meeting between lower-level officials expected for Feb. 19

The expectation in diplomatic circles is that lower-level officials from North Korea and the US will have a preliminary meeting as early as Feb. 19 for the first round of agenda arrangements and that Biegun and Kim will join the working-level negotiations toward the end of the week. In this preliminary meeting, the US will likely be represented by Alex Wong and North Korea by Pak Chol, vice chairman of the Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, a diplomatic source said. Pak visited the White House with WPK Central Committee Vice Chairman and WPK United Front Department Director Kim Yong-chol on Jan. 17-19 and was also spotted by reporters while transferring in Beijing with Kim Chang-son on the way to Hanoi.

During the working-level negotiations, North Korea and the US are expected to attempt to produce an agreement for US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to sign during their second summit on Feb. 27-28. These negotiations are likely to continue until shortly before the summit, with the sharpest points of disagreement reserved for the two leaders to address during the summit itself.

After arriving in Hanoi, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Daniel Walsh and Kim Chang-son began inspecting the accommodations for the summit and deliberating protocol matters on Feb. 15-16.

By Hwang Joon-bum, Washington correspondent

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]

button that move to original korean article (클릭시 원문으로 이동하는 버튼)