Finland: DPRK, ROK, US delegates had constructive meeting

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Informal talks held in Finland between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Republic of Korea (ROK) and United States delegates ended on Wednesday, the Finnish foreign ministry said, describing the talks as constructive.

Some 18 delegates from the three countries, including Choe Kang Il, a deputy director general for North American affairs at DPRK’s foreign ministry, came to Finland earlier this week for a “track 2” conference amid a series of diplomatic encounters ahead of a possible US-DPRK summit.

“This meeting was one of a series of academic sessions over many years that have explored approaches to building confidence and reducing tensions on the Korean Peninsula,” Director General Kimmo Lahdevirta from the Finnish foreign ministry told reporters in front of a government manor out of town in which the delegates had been secluded for two days.

Director General Kimmo Lähdevirta of Finland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs reads out a press statement at the Königstedt Manor on March 21, 2018, in Vantaa, Finland. /VCG Photo

“The participants had a constructive exchange of views in a positive atmosphere.”

He declined to comment on the agenda but said that observers from the United Nations and Europe were also present at the talks.

Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini said on Tuesday that DPRK denuclearization was not on the table.

Last weekend, DPRK and Swedish foreign ministers ended three days of talks in preparation for a potential meeting between US President Donald Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.

The DPRK is pursuing its nuclear and missile programs in defiance of UN Security Council sanctions and has made no secret of its plans to develop a missile capable of hitting the US mainland.

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Source(s): Reuters