US, European officials to talk N Korea

The lead US official on North Korea is expected to travel to Moscow and Berlin next week in an attempt to discuss issues regarding Pyongyang with Russian and German diplomats.

The US State said in a statement on Friday that the Glyn Davies, who is the country’s special representative for North Korea policy, would be in Russia on Tuesday and Wednesday to hold talks about North Korea with Russian officials including Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov.

Davies is set to be in Germany from Wednesday to Friday to have meetings with officials including Peter Prugel, the German foreign ministry’s director-general for Asian and Pacific affairs, and Deputy National Security Adviser Michael Flugger.

Meanwhile an unnamed State Department spokeswoman has said that Davies “has no plans to meet with the North Koreans during his upcoming trip.”

This is while earlier on Friday US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced that Washington is planning to deploy 14 more interceptors in Alaska to strengthen its defenses against a possible missile strike by North Korea.

Pyongyang staged its third nuclear test on February 2013, which drew immediate condemnation from the UN and several countries including the United States. North Korea also launched a long-range rocket that placed a satellite into orbit on December 2012.

On March 7, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution against North Korea over its new atomic test.

Drafted by the United States and China, the resolution tightened Pyongyang’s financial dealings and added new names to the UN sanctions blacklist.

On March 11, Seoul and Washington launched a week-long annual joint military exercise near the Korean Peninsula despite warnings from Pyongyang, which condemned the maneuvers as a launch pad for a “nuclear war.”

North Korea has also accused Washington and Seoul of staging “persistent and intensive” cyber attacks against its official websites and internet servers.