South Korean and U.S. officials will meet in Seoul early next week to discuss financial sanctions and other penalties on North Korea, a diplomatic source here said Wednesday.
Robert Einhorn, the U.S. State Department's special adviser for nonproliferation and arms control, will lead the U.S. delegation who will
arrive in Seoul over the weekend, the source said.
"Einhorn (and his delegation) will meet South Korean officials on Aug. 2," the source said. "We're still working on the specifics of his
itinerary."
The U.S. officials are expected to hold talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan, Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Yong-joon and senior
presidential secretary for foreign and affairs and security Kim Sung-hwan.
Finance ministry officials have also scheduled talks with their U.S. counterparts.
The U.S. delegation will include about five officials from the defense and treasury departments and the National Security Council, the source said.
The trip here is part of their anticipated swing through Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, as they seek cooperation in laying down financial sanctions on Pyongyang.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced in Seoul last week that Washington will impose new sanctions on Pyongyang's leaders as punishment for the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan in March. Seoul, Washington and other allies blame Pyongyang for the torpedo attack that killed 46 sailors near the Yellow Sea border, but the North has denied responsibility.
The U.S. has also reportedly identified some 200 bank accounts linked to North Korea and was expected to freeze about half of them suspected of being used in weapons exports.
In 2005, the U.S. blacklisted Macao-based Banco Delta Asia for its link to the North's illegal financial activities. The move effectively froze some US$25 million in North Korean accounts at the bank and ostracized the bank in the international financial community.