LOC12:46
09:46 GMT
TOKYO, Jan 29 (KUNA) -- A top US diplomat handling North Korea said Thursday that Russia remained committed to denuclearizing the reclusive state, despite a possible visit by the North's leader Kim Jong-un in May, Seoul's Yonhap News Agency reported.
Ambassador Sung Kim, the US special representative for North Korea policy, made the remarks upon his arrival at the Beijing airport for talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wu Dawei, according to the report.
North Korea has confirmed the attendance of its leader for a May ceremony in Russia marking the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, the Kremlin said in a statement on Wednesday.
If realized, it would be Kim's first foreign trip since taking the helm of North Korea in late 2011. There is concern that closer ties between North Korea and Russia may complicate diplomatic efforts to denuclearize North Korea.
Asked about Kim Jong-un's possible visit to Russia in May, Kim replied that the main thing is that Russians remain very much committed to denuclearization and the joint statement of the six-party process. "They have made it very clear that they would strongly oppose nuclear tests by North Korea and, in fact, they oppose continuing nuclear activities by North Korea," said Kim.
North Korea is seeking to deepen both diplomatic and economic ties with Russia at a time when its political relationship with China remains frosty amid international pressure over its nuclear ambitions and dismal human rights record, the report said. China is North Korea's main economic benefactor, but political ties between the allies remain strained, particularly after the North's third nuclear test in early 2013. The six-party talks -- involving South Korea, North Korea, the US, China, Russia and Japan -- have been dormant since late 2008, when Pyongyang walked out of the negotiations.
Since its third nuclear test, North Korea has called for a resumption of the six-party talks without preconditions, but South Korea and the US have urged Pyongyang to take actions demonstrating a willingness to fulfill its denuclearization commitments. The US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies reported on Thursday that North Korea may try to restart its main nuclear reactor providing nuclear bomb fuel, citing recent satellite images. (end)
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