US, DPRK to hold ‘unofficial’ talks
Finland meeting could pave way for summit between Trump and Kim
HELSINKI — Representatives from the United States and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will hold unofficial talks on Sunday, Finnish media reported.
Finnish commercial television MTV reported on Saturday that Choe Kang-il, who is responsible for relations with the US at the DPRK Foreign Ministry, would arrive in capital Helsinki for a two-day visit.
Finnish foreign ministry confirmed the visit to the MTV and described it as “unofficial”.
Newspaper Helsingin Sanomat reported that Choe would meet Kathleen Stephens, a former US ambassador to the Republic of Korea.
Finnish news agency STT reported that the talks would take place at the Japanese Embassy in Helsinki.
Kimmo Lahdevirta, head of the Asia desk at Finnish Foreign Ministry, told the STT that the event in Helsinki would be “academic” and “from the perspective of international relations”.
Earlier on Saturday, the Swedish government said DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho concluded his threeday visit to Sweden for talks on the security situation on the Korean Peninsula.
The discussions may help prepare the way for a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, the DPRK top leader.
Trump reaffirmed on Friday that he was willing to meet Kim after ROK officials passed on an invitation earlier this month. The DPRK has so far not publicly acknowledged the invitation.
“The foreign ministers discussed opportunities and challenges for continued diplomatic efforts to reach a peaceful solution to the conflict as well as bilateral relations,” the Swedish foreign ministry said in a statement after Ri and counterpart Margot Wallstrom wound up their talks.
“Sweden underlined the need for North Korea to dismantle its nuclear arms and missiles program in line with several Security Council resolutions.”
No US government officials participated in the talks this week in Sweden, a State Department official said.
The Central Intelligence Agency has taken the lead on organizing potential discussions between the US and the DPRK, The New York Times reported on Saturday. The head of the CIA, Mike Pompeo, has been named as a successor to run the State Department in the wake of the ouster of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
The talks in Stockholm had initially been scheduled to conclude on Friday but were extended into the weekend.
“The dialogue has been constructive,” a source with knowledge of the discussions said. “It should be seen as a positive sign that the meeting was extended (until Saturday).”
The source said that Sweden had been in close touch with the US and the ROK before the Stockholm meetings and hoped the talks would lead to further progress toward defusing tensions.
“Sweden will continue to do what it can, but it is the protagonists themselves who have to drive the process forward,” the source said.
In the wake of the Stockholm talks, Wallstrom will meet her ROK counterpart Kang Kyung-wha, who was in Washington this week for talks on the DPRK and trade, in Brussels on Monday, Wallstrom’s spokesman said.
Sweden is one of a handful of countries considered a possible venue for a meeting between Trump and Kim.