SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A senior South Korean official reportedly is downplaying expectations for a rare direct meeting between North Korean and American officials next week.
Media reports say the official thinks the meeting is unlikely to produce a major breakthrough in the standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear program.
President Barack Obama's special envoy, Stephen Bosworth, is to travel to Pyongyang on Dec. 8 to discuss restarting the six-nation talks aimed at disarming the North. It would be the first one-on-one talks between Pyongyang and Washington since Obama took office in January.
Yonhap news agency quotes the unidentified official as saying the prospect of achieving a major outcome from the dialogue was "dim for now." The official says there's no sign that Pyongyang will return to the negotiating table.
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