US, SKorean Officials To Hold Missile Talks

US, S. Korean Officials To Hold Missile Talks

Seoul (AFP) November 15, 1999 - US and South Korean officials will meet here this week to discuss North Korea's missile proliferation and the extension of the South's missile range, officials here said Friday.

Director General Song Min-Sun of the American Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade will meet Robert Einhorn, US Assistant Secretary of State for Non-Proliferation, officials of the ministry said.

Caption: Members of the South Korean Air Force using gas masks display how to attach bombs to their F-4E fighter jets, at Osan air base 19 August 1999. South Korea and the US military took part in the 12-day 'Ulchi Focus Lens' exercises, which started 16 August, intended to deter any North Korean attack. The exercises have been held annually, but were given greater significance this year due to fears that North Korea will soon fire its Taepodong II new long-range missile that could hit parts of the United States. Photo Copyright AFP

Einhorn will visit from November 18 to 20 for the meeting, the second of its kind since September when Song flew to Washington for similar talks.

Einhorn and Song will coordinate ways to prevent the North from developing long-range missiles and exporting missiles.

The Einhorn-Song talks will take place after US special envoy on Korean peace talks, ambassador Charles Kartman, meets North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Gye Gwan in Berlin on Monday.

Kartman and Kim will pick up where they left off at their last round in September and continue exploring ways to improve their strained relations while adressing the concerns of both.

The September talks in Berlin resulted in a North Korean agreement to freeze their missile development program.

In return, US President Bill Clinton eased decades-long economic sanctions against the communist state, allowing US trade in commercial goods, excluding military parts.

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