매일경제

Stephen Bosworth, the U.S. State Department Special Representative for North Korean Policy, is known to stay in Pyongyang for three days. Such a change in the schedule is longer than initially planned.

A high official from the South Korean government said November 23, "According to the information we have, Bosworth will land in Pyongyang on December 8, and stay until December 10."

Bosworth's trip was initially said to be a two-day visit from December 8 to 9. However, his extended stay in North Korea seems to reinforce the significance of direct talks between the U.S. and the reclusive state.

In light of the fact that the U.S. and North Korea are proceeding direct talks to arrange Bosworth's schedule in Pyongyang via New York channels, all eyes are on the frequency of meeting with Kang Suk-ju, the 1st vice foreign minister, and whether the U.S. special envoy will meet with Kim Jong-il.

Before and after his trip to Pyongyang, Bosworth is known to have a plan of holding a debriefing session on an outcome of his visit to North Korea in Seoul.

The special envoy will travel the six-party talk member nations-- Japan, China and Russia--for briefing of his trip afterwards.

Earlier during a joint press conference after a summit with President Lee on November 19, President Obama announced Bosworth's Pyongyang visit slated for December 8. Most sources in and out of the U.S. State Department had assumed it to be a two-day schedule.

[Ye-sol Yi / edited by Jae-yoon Jung]

[ⓒ Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]