S. Korean envoy arrives in U.S. for post-summit talks

WASHINGTON, March 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's envoy for North Korea's nuclear issue arrived in Washington Tuesday for talks with his American counterpart on the way forward after no deal was reached at the second U.S.-North Korea summit.

Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, is in the U.S. capital for three days, during which he will meet with Stephen Biegun, who is in charge of day-to-day negotiations with the North.

"I plan to listen carefully to how the U.S. side assesses the outcome of the Hanoi summit and how it plans to move forward," Lee told reporters at Dulles International Airport.

"I also plan to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation between South Korea and the U.S. in that process," he said.

President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met in Hanoi on Wednesday and Thursday to negotiate a deal on dismantling the North's nuclear weapons program in exchange for sanctions relief.

The summit was cut short without an agreement after what Trump described as North Korean demands for complete removal of sanctions in return for only partial denuclearization.

The North later retorted that it had asked for partial sanctions relief in exchange for the complete dismantlement of its main nuclear facility.

"The most important thing is for the U.S. and North Korea to meet again soon to continue the process," Lee said.

hague@yna.co.kr
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