A U.S. diplomat who is seeking a full declaration from Pyongyang on its nuclear activities had some “preliminary” talks Thursday with officials in North Korea, the State Department said. Sung Kim, the State Department's top Korean expert, “has had some preliminary meetings with officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters. “He expects to have some more tomorrow,” he said without providing details. Japan's Kyodo News agency reported from Pyongyang earlier that Sung Kim arrived as scheduled in the North Korean capital and told reporters he would meet officials for three days. Kim, visiting Seoul earlier this week, said he would urge North Korea to make a “complete and correct” declaration of its nuclear programs. Pyongyang was supposed to disable its main nuclear plants by December 31 and list all its programs under the six-party deal negotiated by the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan, and Russia. --SPa
