U.S. special envoy for DPRK to visit S.Korea

U.S. special representative for policy on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Glyn Davies will arrive in South Korea later Monday to discuss about policy toward Pyongyang, the Yonhap news agency reported Monday.

Davies will be in Seoul on Sept. 9-10 for meetings with senior South Korean government officials, including Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Cho Tae-young.

Davies is expected to discuss ways to resume the peace process on the Korean Peninsula. The six-party peace talks on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, attended by China, the DPRK, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States, has been stalled since 2009. "Also on the table will be how Seoul and Washington coordinate their stance on China's recent proposal to hold an informal meeting with officials from the six countries," Yonhap quoted a diplomatic source as saying, who requested anonymity.

After his visit to Seoul, the U.S. envoy will hold meetings in Beijing On Sept. 11 with senior Chinese government officials.

Then Davies will visit Japan on Sept. 12 -13 for meetings with senior Japanese government officials.

The visit comes after the DPRK rescinded an invitation to Robert King, an envoy charged with human rights issues relating to the DPRK, for a visit in late August to discuss the release of Kenneth Bae.

Bae, a 45-year-old Korean-American, was detained by the DPRK last November and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for "hostile acts" against the country in late April.