The North Korean delegation, headed by its chief nuclear negotiator Kim Myong Gil arrived to Stockholm, Sweden to prepare to negotiate with the US on nuclear issue on Thursday (October 3).

Photo: Aljazeera

On Thursday (October 3), North Korean chief nuclear negotiator Kim Myong Gil led the delegation reach to Stockholm, Sweden for denuclearization talks with the US, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.

He affirmed “We’re going for the DPRK-U.S. working-level negotiations. There’s been a new signal from the U.S. side, so we’re going with great expectations and optimism about the outcome”.

This event will become the first formal working – level dialogue since the US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s meeting at the Demilitarized Zone on June 30 which these two leaders had announced to resume the denuclearization talks.

Nevertheless, North Korea, afterward, conducted a short – range missile launches to present its disagreement on the military drills between South Korea and the US.

North Korea and the US on Tuesday (October 1) had agreed to arrange a denuclearization talks on October 5 as North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said “the delegates of the DPRK side are ready to enter into the DPRK-U.S. working-level negotiations. It is my expectation that the working-level negotiations would accelerate the positive development of the DPRK-U.S. relations”.

However, after a day, North Korea carried out the submarine – launched ballistic missile test to the Sea of Japan and confirmed on Thursday (October 3).

The North Korea’s state news agency wrote "the successful new-type SLBM test-firing comes to be of great significance as it ushered in a new phase in containing the outside forces' threat to the DPRK and further bolstering its military muscle for self-defence" and asserted that this test "had no adverse impact on the security of neighbouring countries".

Reuters, Aljazeera ( Van Nguyen )