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Chinese premier to visit N. Korea next month: sources
SEOUL, Sept. 14 (Yonhap) -- Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao is expected to visit North Korea early next month amid discussion between Washington and Pyongyang about possible bilateral talks aimed at denuclearizing the North, diplomatic sources said Monday.
Wen is likely to visit the North after visiting Mongolia, sources told Yonhap News Agency by telephone, adding that his visit will be made about Oct. 4-6. A detailed itinerary, however, has not been revealed.
The move would come months after the premier canceled his earlier plan to visit the North, scheduled for the first half of the year, following Pyongyang's second nuclear test in defiance of opposition from the international community.
Wen's visit is seen as an effort by China to play some kind of mediation role ahead of possible Washington-Pyongyang talks, observers say.
Last week, the U.S. announced it will soon undertake bilateral negotiations with the North to persuade it to return to the suspended six-party talks.
Pyongyang has boycotted the talks, claiming the negotiation framework was being used to infringe upon its sovereign right to develop nuclear and space technology. The six-party process also involves South Korea, China, Japan and Russia.
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