SEOUL, South Korea — The chief U.S. nuclear envoy stayed on in North Korea for an unexpected second day of talks Thursday to persuade Pyongyang to resume dismantling its nuclear program in exchange for energy aid.
U.S. diplomat Christopher Hill spent a second night in North Korea after meeting with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Kye Gwan, at the reclusive nation’s invitation, U.S. officials said. He is expected to return to Seoul today.
Hill drove to Pyongyang on Wednesday to try to salvage the six-party talks that produced the landmark 2007 pact promising aid and other concessions to the North if it abandoned its nuclear ambitions.
North Korea began disabling a nuclear reprocessing plant in Yongbyon — but then abruptly stopped last month, citing Washington’s refusal to remove it from a terrorism blacklist. The U.S. maintains the agreement required North Korea to submit to a thorough verification of its nuclear accounting — a demand Pyongyang rejected.
North Korea’s defiance comes amid concern about authoritarian leader Kim Jong Il’s health. Kim, 66, has not been seen in public since reportedly suffering a stroke in August.
Also Thursday, South Korea’s Dong-a Ilbo newspaper reported North Korea had upgraded facilities at a northeastern missile launch site, possibly to test-fire a long-range missile capable of reaching parts of the U.S.
In Pyongyang, Hill was expected to propose ways to adjust the sequencing of steps North Korea must take as part of the verification.
