US talks may stop nuclear test
North Korea informed China it may drop its plan to test its first atomic bomb if the US holds bilateral talks with the communist country, a former South Korean lawmaker said today.
The North also denied speculation that its nuclear test was imminent and said the regime has not raised the alert level of the country’s military, Jang Sung-min said, citing a telephone conversation with an unidentified Chinese diplomatic official.
The Chinese official was informed of North Korea’s stance by North Korean officials, Jang said.
The official then telephoned Jang in South Korea with the news.
Jang is a former lawmaker of the then-ruling Millennium Democratic Party which later split into the ruling Uri Party and an opposition party. He currently heads a policy think tank in Seoul and has been active in Northeast Asian affairs.
The Chinese official’s comments could not be independently confirmed.
