N.K. `listened to` U.S. position in first talks

In its first government-level meeting with North Korea under the Obama administration, the United States delivered its position on the resumption of the six-way nuclear talks and Pyongyang`s invitation to Stephen Bosworth, its special representative for North Korea policy, South Korea`s foreign minister said Monday, according to Yonhap News.



Ri Gun, the North`s number two nuclear envoy, "largely listened to the U.S. stance" on the issues in his one-hour meeting with Sung Kim, U.S. special envoy on the six-party talks, and reported it to his government, Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan told lawmakers in Seoul, citing information shared by Washington. Yu did not elaborate.



Ri, who is also in charge of the North American affairs bureau at the communist nation`s foreign ministry, landed in the U.S. last Friday (local time) to attend a series of academic forums. Ri had the closely-watched meeting with Kim over the weekend.



The minister said the working-level contact between North Korea and the U.S. was aimed at deciding the details of envisioned higher-level talks.



He added that the North is appears to be seeking to put the nuclear issue on a bilateral footing with the U.S. by dispatching the diplomat there.



The North -- which earlier quit the six-way nuclear talks also involving South Korea, China, Russia, and Japan -- has asked Bosworth to visit Pyongyang for one-on-one negotiations. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il reportedly told Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao his country may return to the six-way talks if progress is made in the bilateral talks.



The U.S. has made clear that if it engages the North, it would be solely with the aim of bringing it back to the six-party table.



Ri and Kim are expected to hold additional meetings later this week either in San Diego, where the Northeast Asia Cooperative Dialogue (NEACD) conference will open on Monday for a two-day run, or New York, where Ri is scheduled to attend another academic seminar.