Senior Seoul official anticipates 'new progress in a few days' regarding N. Korea issue

▲ This AFP file photo shows U.S. President Donald Trump (R) shaking hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after signing a joint statement at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island in Singapore on June 12, 2018. (Yonhap)

US-NK diplomacy

Senior Seoul official anticipates 'new progress in a few days' regarding N. Korea issue

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 (Yonhap) -- A senior South Korean official said Thursday that he anticipates "some new progress in a few days" regarding North Korea-related issues, but he noted it is not about the resumption of dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.

The official made the remarks during a meeting with reporters in Washington amid speculation that U.S. President Donald Trump could seek a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un when he visits China in April.

"There may be some new progress in a few days. It is not anything significant, but it is intended as a gesture of goodwill that can serve as a starting point (for progress in diplomacy with North Korea)," the official said.

"It doesn't go as far as dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea," he added.

He also pointed out North Korea's lack of interest in diplomacy with Seoul or Washington.

"So we need to wait and see," he said.

Both South Korea and the U.S. have expressed their desire to reengage with North Korea. But it remains uncertain whether Pyongyang would accede to dialogue overtures at a time when it has deepened cooperation with Russia and China to address its economic and other needs.

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