The U.S. envoy for North Korea will meet his North Korean counterpart early next week to discuss the next steps in dismantling the regime's nuclear weapons program.
The State Department has revealed U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, Stephen Biegun will travel to Seoul on Sunday,for follow-up meetings with his North Korean counterpart.
While it has not been confirmed, his counterpart is reported to be the former North Korean ambassador to Spain, Kim Hyok-chol.
The State Department added the two sides will discuss "next steps" to advance their objective of the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea, but did not reveal the date or location of the talks. Biegun also plans to meet with his South Korean counterpart Lee Do-hoon during his stay in Seoul.
This comes as President Trump said on Thursday that the date and the venue for the second Pyeongyang-Washington summit will be revealed in the coming days.
While the announcement is expected next week, President Trump hinted at where the summit will be held, saying he doesn't think it's "any great secret.
Ahead of the summit, Reuters reports that Biegun is calling on North Korea to provide a comprehensive declaration of its nuclear and missile program.
South Korea and Japan have discussed a range of issues, including Seoul's ruling that ordered Japanese companies to compensate the Korean victims of Japan's forced labor during World War Two and the ongoing radar dispute.
According to Seoul's foreign ministry on Friday, South Korea's Director-General for Northeast Asian Affairs, Kim Yong-kil, and his Japanese counterpart, Kenji Kanasugi, held talks on Thursday in Tokyo.
Japanese broadcaster NHK reported the two sides also exchanged views on the 'comfort women' foundation'.
It also reported that South Korea has still not responded to Tokyo's recent request for talks within the next 30 days on Seoul's forced labor ruling.
In the meantime, today, hundreds of South Koreans have gathered in Seoul to honor Kim Bok-dong one of the victims of sexual slavery by Japan during World War Two in a sending-off ceremony as part of her funeral.
A third case of foot-and-mouth disease was confirmed on Thursday in Chungcheongbuk-do Province, where eleven cows were showing symptoms of the disease.
The latest case is the first detected outside of Gyeonggi-do Province.
The South Korean government imposed a 48-hour ban on animal movement as of 6 PM Thursday in light of the outbreak.
The ban will restrict the movement of livestock, including pigs and cows, as well as vehicles.
The government will release a statement on measures to prevent the further spread of the disease.
Source: Arirang News
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