U.S. envoy presses N. Korea on human rights

(ATTN: UPDATES with U.S. envoy's remarks in first six paras; AMENDS headline; ADDS photo) SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korea should address concerns about alleged abuses of human rights in the communist state if it wants to improve ties with the United States, a visiting U.S. envoy said Monday. "The United States remains deeply concerned about the human rights situation inside the DPRK (North Korea) and the well-being of the North Korean people," said Robert King, the U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights. King arrived in Seoul on Sunday for a four-day visit. "Addressing human rights will have a significant impact on the prospect for closer U.S.-DPRK ties," King said in a statement. On Monday, King met with Wi Sung-lac, South Korea's chief negotiator to the stalled six-party talks on ending the North's nuclear weapons programs. During his visit, King said that he will meet with senior South Korean officials at the Foreign Ministry, the Unification Ministry in charge of handling North Korean affairs and the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae. King's visit to Seoul coincided with this week's bilateral talks in Beijing between the top nuclear envoys from South and North Korea. In what appears to be a fresh sign that efforts to reopen the stalled six-party denuclearization talks are making progress, Wi and his North Korean counterpart, Ri Yong-ho, will hold a second round of talks in Beijing on Wednesday, officials said. The nuclear envoys from South and North Korea met in Indonesia in late July for the first time in more than two years, setting the tone for renewed diplomatic efforts to reopen the six-party talks, which also involve the U.S., China, Japan and Russia. Since the July talks between Wi and Ri, Seoul and Washington have engaged in preliminary discussions with Pyongyang to gauge the possibility of restarting the six-party talks. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, during a rare summit on Aug. 24 with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, reportedly pledged to consider issuing a moratorium on nuclear testing and missile launches if the six-party talks resume. South Korea and the U.S., however, have reacted coldly to the North's latest gesture, urging Pyongyang to announce such a moratorium and address concerns about its uranium enrichment program before the multilateral negotiations begin. Seoul and Washington also insist that Pyongyang must allow U.N. inspectors to verify the suspension of its nuclear activities ahead of any resumption of the six-party talks.