THE chief nuclear envoy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Kim Kye-gwan arrived here on Tuesday, to continue further negotiations on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.
Kim is reported to meet with parties relevant to the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, including Chinese senior diplomats and his US counterpart Christopher Hill, who is expected to arrive in Beijing later today.
Hill, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian affairs, is due to hold bilateral contacts with Chinese officials in Beijing from Wednesday regarding international efforts to disable DPRK's existing nuclear facilities, according to the State Department.
However, the possible meeting between the DPRK and United States, which comes shortly before the start of work to disable the three key nuclear facilities in the DPRK's Yongbyon complex from later this week, has not been confirmed yet.
The DPRK reconfirmed yesterday to start disablement of nuclear facilities from November 1 and faithfully implement its second-phase denuclearization measures under the February agreement, according to an official from the Republic of Korea who leads negotiations for the working-level talks on energy assistance.
Under an October joint document, the DPRK agreed to disable its existing nuclear facilities and provide a declaration of all its nuclear programs by the end of this year.
The document also said the DPRK and the United States remain committed to improving their bilateral relations and moving towards a full diplomatic relationship.
The six-party talks, initiated in 2003, involve China, the DPRK, the United States, the ROK, Russia and Japan.
