South Korea's chief nuclear negotiator is in Beijing for talks that will deal with a new North Korean proposal to freeze its nuclear weapons and missile programs if six-nation talks are resumed.The United States has already welcomed the offer but said it was not sufficient for a resumption of talks. The South Korean envoy, Wi Sun-lac, said on arrival in Beijing Thursday that the North Korean offer was one of the issues that would come up in his talks with China's nuclear negotiator, Wu Dawei.
The United States and South Korea have insisted for months that North Korea must honor its past promises to dismantle its nuclear programs before they will agree to a resumption of the six-party talks, which would offer Pyongyang economic and diplomatic incentives to denuclearize.