The top nuclear negotatiators of Pyeongyang and Washington are continuing talks in Hanoi
to hammer out the details for their leaders' summit declaration.
Meanwhile, a U.S. official has said bold steps need to be taken quickly on North Korea's
denuclearization.
Oh Jung-hee has the latest details.
Talks continue between North Korea and the U.S. in Vietnam... to fine-tune the details
of the Hanoi summit declaration.
On Friday morning, North Korea's Special Representative for U.S. Affairs, Kim Hyok-chol, went to the
Hotel du Parc Hanoi, where U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, is staying.
He was accompanied by two other North Korean delegates -- Kim Song-hye, who heads the United
Front Department's strategy office,... and Choe Kang-il, the acting director-general
for the foreign ministry's department on North American affairs.
Kim and Biegun had met on Thursday for over four hours at the same hotel.
The core talking point is believed to be the verified shutdown of the North's Yeongbyeon
nuclear complex -- the key site where it produces plutonium and uranium for nuclear weapons.
In return, the U.S. is likely to suggest exchanging liaison offices, formally ending the Korean
War... and easing sanctions on the regime.
The two sides are expected to continue meeting until the very last minute.
And Seoul's nuclear envoy Lee Do-hoon could also be seeing Biegun time to time, as he
arrived in Hanoi on Friday as well.
While the final coordination is tight, Washington is urging Pyeongyang to take big and bold
denuclearization measures.
An senior U.S. government official told reporters on Thursday... that for North Korea and the
U.S., it's crucial to move quickly with "very big bites",... and should the regime make
the right choice, it'll get all the necessary incentives.
He said Washington is still not sure if Pyeongyang has really chosen to denuclearize,... but
is engaged in the ongoing talks because there's a possibility.
The immediate priority for now, says the official, is to freeze all of North Korea's weapons
of mass destruction and missile programs.
The regime will also need to provide a full inventory of its nuclear arsenal "well before"
the end of the denuclearization process.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.
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