US envoy Christopher Hill wrapped up a surprise trip to North Korea yesterday, expressing satisfaction about his talks with officials on pushing forward international efforts to halt the country's nuclear program.
Hill, an assistant secretary of state, arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday in the highest-level US visit to the North Korean capital in more than four years. He is chief envoy to six-party talks involving North and South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the US aimed at securing North Korea's denuclearization in exchange for economic and energy aid for the state.
"We had a good discussion about the way forward at the six-party talks," Hill said in footage shot by APTN in Pyongyang before his departure. He also said there were discussions on "the need to move forward."
Hill did not provide specifics, but said "we discussed all aspects of the six-party process. And all aspects means all aspects."
He said he held meetings with North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan, as well as the country's foreign minister, Pak Ui-chun.
Hill was seen off at the airport by Ri Gun, director-general of the Foreign Ministry's American affairs bureau and as well as deputy nuclear negotiator.
Seoul's Foreign Ministry confirmed yesterday afternoon that Hill had arrived back in South Korea.
Hill's visit came amid hopes North Korea was on the verge of taking concrete steps to carry out its commitment to shut down its bomb-making nuclear reactor as pledged under a February agreement. The North carried out its first nuclear test explosion in October last year.
The visit, coming before North Korea makes good on the promises, appeared to demonstrate how much the US wants to achieve a breakthrough in efforts to dismantle Pyongyang's atomic weapons program.
The administration of US President George W. Bush has in the past preferred to meet the North with regional powers like China and Japan at the talks. But the US has been moving away from that limitation, holding meetings on the sidelines of summits and sending White House adviser Victor Cha to Pyongyang earlier this year. Hill's trip is the clearest indication yet of a more direct approach.
The US and North Korea have been at odds since the 1950-53 Korean War and do not have formal diplomatic relations.
The Chosun Sinbo, a pro-North Korean newspaper in Tokyo, reported from Pyongyang that Hill said he hopes to resume the six-party talks after the measures mentioned in the Feb. 13 agreement are implemented, and that he was waiting for host China to propose a date.
Hill said this week that he hoped the six-nation talks could reconvene sometime after July 4.
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