YONHAP NEWS

(LEAD) Bosworth says Seoul stopover 'no accident' en route to N. Korea

By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Dec. 7 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, held a series of last-minute consultations with top South Korean officials Monday, the eve of his high-stakes trip to North Korea.

In a brief photo session for media at the start of their closed-door meeting, Bosworth and Seoul's top nuclear envoy Wi Sung-lac tried to show they were in close consultations on North Korea, apparently mindful of criticism that South Korea may be bypassed in Washington's push to engage the communist state.

Wi stressed that Bosworth's decision to travel to Pyongyang by way of Seoul demonstrates that the allies are drawing up a joint strategy on the North.

   That is a clear signal to the public and other participants in the six-way nuclear talks that South Korea and the U.S. are in close consultations, Wi added. The dormant nuclear talks based in Beijing also involve China, Russia, and Japan.

   Bosworth replied, "That was not an accident. We intended that."

   He also met with Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan earlier in the day and is scheduled to talk with Kim Sung-hwan, senior secretary to President Lee Myung-bak for security and foreign affairs.

   Bosworth will fly into Pyongyang on Tuesday on a military plane from the U.S. Air Base in Osan for a three-day trip, during which he is expected to meet the North's Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok-ju as part of efforts to resume the six-party talks.

   The seasoned diplomat, who once served as Washington's ambassador to Seoul, has been guarded in public here about his forthcoming visit for the Obama administration's first direct talks with the North.

   He avoided media contact, arriving at an international airport west of Seoul on Sunday afternoon. He gave the short comments in front of pool reporters at his meeting with Wi.

   U.S. embassy officials said he has no plans to meet the press separately before his journey to North Korea this week.

   South Korean foreign ministry officials said this reflects Washington's careful approach to the trip, which has drawn keen media attention.

   Bosworth agreed to Wi's remarks that "we don't need to encourage" the media too much. The U.S. has been cautious not to raise media expectations too high and give the wrong signal to North Korea, emphasizing that the envoy's trip is aimed at only trying to bring the North back to the six-party talks, not to have any substantial talks on denuclearization issues to be discussed at the multilateral forum.

   Bosworth plans to return to Seoul on Thursday and brief South Korean officials on the results of his visit. He will then visit China, Japan and Russia.

   lcd@yna.co.kr
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