US engaging North Korea through diplomacy
WASHINGTON The US is quietly pursuing direct diplomacy with North Korea, a senior State Department official said on Tuesday, despite US President Donald Trump's assertion that such talks are a waste of time.
Using the so-called "New York channel", Mr Joseph Yun, US negotiator with North Korea, has been in contact with diplomats at Pyongyang's United Nations mission. The official's comments were the clearest sign that the US was directly discussing issues beyond the release of American prisoners.
"It has not been limited at all, both (in) frequency and substance," he said.
Among the points that Mr Yun has made to his North Korean interlocutors is to "stop testing" nuclear bombs and missiles, the official said. - WIRE SERVICES
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