North Korean Official Reportedly Traveling to Malaysia To Meet With Former US Officials
It looks like the Kim regime is probing to see what free goodies it can get from the US for little to nothing in return:
A ranking North Korean official arrived in Beijing on Tuesday before possibly traveling to Malaysia for informal talks with former U.S. officials or experts, a Japanese news report said.
North Korea’s deputy foreign minister Han Song-ryol was seen at Beijing’s international airport, according to Kyodo News.
“He could be set to meet former U.S. officials or experts on North Korean issues, and the discussions will most likely be held completely behind-the-scenes under the informal, unofficial track II format,” Kyodo reported, citing the source.
An official at Seoul’s foreign ministry said he cannot confirm anything at the moment.
Han’s possible trip to Malaysia, if confirmed, comes after North Korea conducted its fifth and most powerful nuclear test in September, just eight months after its previous nuke test.
The U.N. Security Council (UNSC) is working on a fresh sanctions resolution to punish Pyongyang for its latest nuclear provocation. In March, the UNSC slapped tougher sanctions on the North for its nuclear and long-range rocket launches early in the year.
Until recently, Han served as director-general handling U.S. affairs at North Korea’s foreign ministry, the report said.
Han met with a private U.S. delegation, which made a rare visit to North Korea in late September, the New York Times reported on Oct. 9.
During the Sept. 24-27 visit, the delegation discussed a U.S. student detained in the communist nation, recovering the remains of American soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War and possible flood assistance for the North, it said. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but I would be surprised if anything comes out of this considering the upcoming change in the Presidency. Would President Obama want his legacy to be a last minute deal with the North Koreans that they would inevitably violate?
