U.S. Will Contact North in New York Next Week

The U.S. will explain about the Korea-U.S. summit to the North by next week through so-called `New York Channel` between the U.S. State Department and the North`s Mission to New York and will urge the North to step forward to the dialogue soon. Korean government is also planning to persuade the North for dialogue through the neighboring countries including China and Russia.

North-U.S. Contact : A high-ranking official of the government explained that "the U.S. also hopes to take additional measures for the resumption of the North-U.S. dialogue. When Jack Prichard, the U.S. Envoy of State Department for the North Korean negotiation, returns to the U.S. next week, U.S. government will urge for dialogue through the New York Channel after coordinating its inner policies." With regard to the possibility to send Mr. Prichard to the North, the official said, "Neither of Korea and the U.S. are not considering of sending a special envoy to the North for now. If the North responds to the request, however, the option of the Prichard`s visit to the North is still valid."

Mr. Prichard visited Foreign Minister Choi Sung-Hong and expressed the U.S. position to actively effort to resume the North-U.S. dialogue.

Korea and the U.S. will intensively discuss the measures to resume the North-U.S. dialogue at the Trilateral Coordination and Oversight Group scheduled at the end of next month.

Government Response: the government held a standing committee of the National Security Council at Inter-Korean Dialogue Office and discussed thoroughly the measures to resume the Inter-Korean and North-U.S. dialogues.

The government, however, decided to wait and see the responses of the North for now since 100,000 tons of corns supplied through the World Food Plan (WFP) will arrive in the North at the end of this month and the joint celebration events by the South and North civic organizations is scheduled at Mt. Keumgang on 26th – 28th.

The government reportedly set up a plan to review thoroughly the profiles of the participants and to pledge them not to hold any political event, to prevent the same kind of turmoil happened after the 8.15 Great Festivities For National Unification last year.

The government is also planning to request China and Russia for persuading the North through a diplomatic channel as U.S. President requested "China to help for the North-U.S. dialogue."

Foreign Minister invited the foreign diplomats in Korea to request for the support of all nations for the North-U.S. dialogue yesterday.

Chol-Hi Lee klimt@donga.com · Young-Sik Kim spear@donga.com