ROK's nuclear envoy heads to U.S. for talks on DPRK

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Republic of Korea (ROK)'s top nuclear envoy headed to Washington to consult with U.S. officials on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) affairs, ROK Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

Moon calls for resumption of DPRK-U.S. talks

Noh Kyu-duk, the foreign ministry spokesman, told a press briefing that ROK anticipated a rapid resumption of the DPRK-U.S. dialogue, saying the visit by Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, to Washington was part of the country's efforts for it.

Hanoi summit souvenir T-shirts are displayed in a shop window in Hanoi, Vietnam, February 27, 2019. /VCG Photo

Lee would meet with Stephen Biegun, U.S. special representative for DPRK, and other U.S. officials during his visit to Washington until Thursday, according to local media reports.

The ROK diplomat would reportedly consult with his U.S. counterpart on measures to resume talks between the DPRK and the United States.

The second summit between top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump ended without a deal in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi last week.

Is Hanoi the endgame?

ROK President Moon Jae-in said his country would seek to help resume dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington, hoping that the DPRK-U.S. talks would continue as soon as possible.

End of U.S.-ROK military drills another gift for DPRK?

Since taking office, Trump has repeatedly complained about the military drills, saying they are too costly and the U.S. bears too much of the financial burden.

The Pentagon and the ROK military confirmed on Sunday, shortly after the Trump-Kim Summit that they were ending large-scale joint spring exercises known as Foal Eagle and Key Resolve and replace them with smaller-scale drills.

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The Pentagon said the move reflected the desire to reduce tension and support the diplomatic efforts to achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a final, fully verified manner.

Chinese Foreign Ministry also applauds and supports all efforts that will help ease the tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Under the current circumstances, China hopes to see closer dialogue and contacts among relevant parties to further promote the political settlement process of the Korean Peninsula issue, spokesperson Lu Kang said at a daily briefing on Tuesday.

(Cover: Lee Do-hoon (R), special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and Stephen Biegun (2nd L), the new U.S. representative on DPRK policy, get ready to talk in Seoul, September 11, 2018. /VCG Photo)

(With inputs from Xinhua)