N. Korea wants talks with 'concerned parties': envoy

BEIJING, May 23 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's special envoy met with another top Chinese party official Thursday, the second day of his scheduled three-day trip here seen as aimed at mending frayed ties between the two countries. Vice Marshall Choe Ryong-hae, director of the General Political Bureau of North Korea's People's Army, flew to Beijing on Wednesday. Shortly after his arrival, he had met with Wang Jiarui, the head of the central committee's external affairs of the Communist Party of China (CPC). On Thursday, Choe toured the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Area (BDA) in the company of Liu Jieyi, the vice minister of the CPC's international department, and was warmly welcomed by workers, the China Central Television (CCTV). He later conferred with Liu Yun-shan, first secretary of the CPC's central secretariat who handles political affairs, the state television said in a report. At the meeting with Liu, Choe said he came to improve, strengthen and develop his country's relations with China, according to the report. The report also quoted Choe as telling Liu that North Korea appreciates China's "advice" and expressed a willingness to open dialogue with "concerned countries." It did not elaborate. In response, Liu called for a resumption of six-party talks on denuclearizing North Korea, stressing that concerned nations should adhere to principles of dialogue and negotiation, it said China is a major political and economic backer of North Korea but their relations have soured in the recent past, especially after Pyongyang conducted its third nuclear test in February in disregard of Bejing's advice against it. Choe's trip to China was closed watched as it comes amid signs of diplomacy between regional players. The focus is now on whether he will meet China's President Xi Jinping before returning home. Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Barack Obama in California on June 7-9. He is also set to meet with South Korean President Park Geun-hye in Bejing in late June. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei, in a daily news briefing on Thursday, confirmed Park's upcoming trip, saying, "We believe that President Park Geun-Hye's state visit to China will bring China-ROK relations to a new and higher level." The ROK, the Republic of Korea, is the official name of South Korea. Some South Korean analysts say that Choe's trip may fail to achieve its intended purpose. "His visit is taking place without the two sides having reached a full understanding on key issues, which raises the possibility that the Chinese president may not meet him," one Seoul analyst said, asking that he not be identified. Earlier, Hong had said Choe's trip should allow the two countries to exchange views on the latest developments taking place on the Korean Peninsula and other mutual interests. (END)