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China appoints Kong Xuanyou as its lead negotiator to six-party talks

China appoints Kong Xuanyou as its lead negotiator to six-party talks

Posted August. 05, 2017 07:17,   

Updated August. 05, 2017 07:39

한국어
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has appointed its Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou (58), who is an ethnic Korean in China, as China’s special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs and chief negotiator to the six party talks. According to diplomatic sources in Beijing on Friday, the Chinese government notified his appointment to related nations.

After appointed, Kong is expected to talk with Joseph Yun, U.S. special representative for North Korea policy and chief delegate to the six party talks. Interestingly, both of them were born to an ethnic Korean family. If the six-party talks is resumed after a nine-year halt since 2008, Kong will chair the meeting as China is the host country.

With both Kong and Yun presented in the meeting, three negotiators from South Korea, the U.S. and China can talk in Korean. Kong has never spoken Korean in official settings, but it has been reported that Kong can speak Korean flawlessly. Yun is also fluent in Korean, and he occasionally talks in Korean during a meeting with Korean officials. Kim Hong-kyun, South Korea’s special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, is South Korea’s chief negotiator to the six party talks.



Wan-Jun Yun zeitung@donga.com