N. Korea-U.S. talks to resume in New York

The U.S. State Department revealed Monday that bilateral talks between North Korea and the United States would resume Sept. 27 in New York.

A source at the State Department said that Washington would bring up the issues concerning nuclear weapons, missiles and terrorism during the talks.

Previously, the United States and North Korea have met on previous occasions for single-issue discussions on topics such as nuclear proliferation, missiles and terrorism. It would be the first time that all three issues will be discussed at one time.

The source also said that while Charles Kartman, peace emissary on the Korean peninsula, would lead the delegation, along with Assistant Secretary for Nonproliferation Robert Einhorn, and Ambassador at Large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism Michael Sheehan, the three issues will be discussed separately with the proper Northern counterparts.

The source also revealed that the North's head delegate would be vice foreign minister Kim Gye-Gwan and that the currently scheduled Sept. 27 could be delayed depending on circumstances.

Sources in Washington and diplomatic circles have determined that the current development is a settlement to the conflict that resulted Sept. 5 as North's titular leader Kim Young-Nam tried to board an American Airlines flight to the United Nations Millennium Summit in New York, but chose to return to the North due to excessive body-search security measures.

Soon after the Frankfurt incident, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright quickly sent a letter expressing regret over the incident followed by the White House making a statement to defuse the situation.