S. Korea’s nuclear envoy upbeat about denuclearization talks

 South Korea’s top nuclear envoy on Friday struck an upbeat note on dialogue with North Korea, citing a “good mood” in recent working-level talks held in Sweden.

“Various formats of consultations are proceeding well,” Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula and security affairs, said upon arriving at Incheon International Airport from Europe.

He joined dayslong negotiations between North Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and U.S. Special Representative Stephen Biegun on the outskirts of Stockholm.

“The entire mood was good. (After talks) everybody said goodbye with a smile,” he told reporters. “So North Korea-U.S. dialogue and (talks) between South and North Korea are expected to fare well.”

South Korea’s top nuclear envoy, Lee Do-hoon, answers a question from a reporter at Incheon International Airport on Jan. 25, 2019. (Yonhap)

He refused to clarify whether he had a separate meeting with Choe during his stay at the mountain venue from Saturday through Monday.

He said he has no information on when the schedule for a second Pyongyang-Washington summit will be announced.

Following a trip to Sweden, Lee traveled to Davos, Switzerland, where Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is on a trip to attend the World Economic Forum.