Korea: Multilateral negotiations may resume soon

November 27, 2006

Negotiations about the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula may be resumed soon. Talks which had included China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Northern Korea, the Republic of Korea (ROK) in South Korea, the United States, Russia and Japan broke down last November when USA took sanctions against the DPRK alleging that it had engaged in money laundering.

The DPRK alarmed the world and provoked international denunciation by conducting an underground nuclear test on October 8, 2006. Since then the DPRK has indicated its willingness to resume talks on nuclear disarmament, but no date has yet been fixed for a formal meeting.

Kenichiro Sasae, head of Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau has arrived in Beijing to meet Wu Dawei, vice foreign minister of China

The DPRK's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan, may also visit Beijing shortly.