북한 대미실무협상 대표 6자회담 관여했던 ‘미국통’ 김명길로 예상<br /><br />It would appear that North Korea's new negotiating team for the nuclear talks is coming together.<br />Pyeongyang has reportedly notified Washington of its new chief nuclear envoy.<br />Kim Ji-yeon has the updates<br />Media reports say North Korea has picked its former ambassador to Vietnam, Kim Myong-gil , as its new chief nuclear envoy... who'll be the counterpart of the U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, Stephen Biegun.<br />The reports say Kim Myong-gil is replacing the North's special representative for U.S. affairs, Kim Hyok-chol ,... who led working-level negotiations in February... and was reportedly executed in March... in a purge after the Hanoi summit resulted in a deadlock.<br />In an interview Wednesday with Radio Free Asia, senior foreign leadership analyst Ken Gause, with the Washington-based CNA Analysis and Solutions, said Kim Myong-gil would be the right person to lead the new talks, given his experience and rank.<br />Kim Myong-gil was formerly deputy chief of North Korea's mission to the United Nations in New York... and has participated in the six-party denuclearization talks.<br />Most recently, he served as ambassador to Vietnam for three years and eight months... including when the Hanoi summit was held in February.<br />Kim Myong-gil returned to Pyeongyang in April after finishing his term.<br />There had been some speculation that First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui might serve as Beigun's counterpart, but Gause said that's unlikely considering that she outranks Biegun.<br />Instead, Choe will likely wield her influence behind-the-scenes... tasked with coming up with strategies for the talks.<br />Based on this, the expert said, it seems the North has reorganized its negotiating team around Choe's foreign ministry, rather than the United Front Department, the agency that handles inter-Korean affairs and had led the U.S. talks before.<br />Citing a diplomatic source, multiple media outlets in South Korea report that Pyeongyang may have informed Washington about its new working-level team last Sunday, the day of their leaders' landmark encounter at the Demilitarized Zone.<br />As for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, it's speculated that his counterpart in the talks will be North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri-Yong-ho.<br />Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.<br />
