Bosworth may tour East Asia to discuss recent talks with N. Korea: source

By Lee Haye-ah SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. special envoy on North Korea may soon travel to South Korea and other East Asian nations to discuss his recent talks with a top Pyongyang official and the next steps in reopening the stalled six-party denuclearization forum, a diplomatic source said Monday. Stephen Bosworth, Washington's special representative for North Korea policy, on Friday ended two days of talks in New York with North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan. Both sides described their first meeting in 19 months as "constructive," without giving details, but they are widely expected to have explored ways to restart the multilateral nuclear negotiations that also involve South Korea, China, Japan and Russia. The meeting came shortly after the two Koreas held rare denuclearization talks on the sidelines of an Asian security conference in Bali, Indonesia, last month. The series of talks have added momentum to the so-called "three-step" approach toward resuming the six-party process -- inter-Korean dialogue, Pyongyang-Washington talks, followed by the six-way negotiations. Bosworth may travel to South Korea, China and Japan to "explain the results of the U.S.-North Korea talks and discuss the next steps" in holding dialogue with North Korea in the context of the six-party talks, a diplomatic source said on the condition of anonymity. The source did not say when Bosworth might be starting the tour, but he is expected to be accompanied by Clifford Hart, who is expected to be named the new U.S. special envoy to the six-way talks. "South Korea and the U.S. are clearly in agreement that inter-Korean dialogue must continue along with Pyongyang-Washington talks, and I understand that the U.S. delivered this message clearly to the North Koreans," the source said.