US envoy ‘not seeking’ to meet N. Korean officials during visit to Seoul but says Washington open to talks

US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun rejected reports on Wednesday that he was seeking to meet North Korean officials during a visit to South Korea this week. However, the envoy reiterated that the United States is open to resuming talks.

The US point man for North Korea was in Seoul for meetings with South Korean officials, overshadowed by North Korea’s insistence that it has no intention of returning to denuclearization negotiations as long as the US clings to “hostile policies,” Reuters said.

Biegun briefly met South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha before holding formal talks with Vice Foreign Minister Cho Sei-young and chief nuclear negotiator Lee Do-hoon.

The discussions covered a range of issues, including the sharing of the cost of US military deployment in South Korea, but Pyongyang dominated the agenda, officials in Seoul said.