DPRK diplomats given permission to attend Washington forum

The United States has permitted two top U.N. representatives of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to attend a conference next week in Washington, the State Department spokesman Darla Jordan said on July 17.

The two New York-based DPRK diplomats are Ambassadors Pak Gil Yon and Han Song-ryol. They were given permission late on Friday to attend the Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Forum on Tuesday, Jordan said.

As Washington and Pyongyang do not have diplomatic ties, the latter's representatives to the United Nations have to get permission from the US State Department before traveling more than 40 km outside the heart of New York City.

The forum was arranged weeks after the third round of six-party talks in Beijing, during which the DPRK had been persuaded to dismantle its nuclear programs.

The multilateral talks involved the Republic of Korea, Japan, China and Russia in addition to the US and the DPRK.

The DPRK demands a large aid package, including energy assistance and a security guarantee in exchange for nuclear freeze.

Source: Xinhua