N Korea ’in Talks to Free US Detainees’
Local Editor
North Korea is in talks with the US and Sweden to release three jailed Americans, reports said, as diplomatic activities intensified ahead of Pyongyang's planned summits with Washington and Seoul.
The release of the three Korean-Americans is under discussion through multiple channels more than a week after US President Donald Trump agreed to meet the North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, the reports said.
Pyongyang has yet to confirm it even made the US summit offer -- relayed by Seoul envoys who had met Kim in Pyongyang -- although South Korea said he had "given his word" about his commitment to denuclearization.
Trump's stunning announcement has triggered a race to set a credible agenda for what would be historic talks between the two leaders.
In this respect, Seoul-based MBC TV station reported Sunday that Pyongyang and Washington had "practically reached" a final agreement on the release of US citizens Kim Hak-song, Kim Sang-duk and Kim Dong-chul.
"They are hammering out details over the timing of the release," it quoted a South Korean diplomatic source as saying.
The negotiation was held through the North's mission to the United Nations and the US State Department -- an unofficial avenue of communication dubbed the "New York channel", the source said.
CNN said the prisoners' release was also discussed at three-day talks in Stockholm between the North's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho and Swedish counterpart Margot Wallstrom that ended Saturday.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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