North Korean foreign minister arrives in Sweden for talks
North Korea's top diplomat arrived in Sweden on Thursday for two days of talks.
STOCKHOLM (AFP) - North Korea s top diplomat arrived in Sweden on Thursday for two days of talks which could play a role in setting up a proposed summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.
Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho arrived at Stockholm s Arlanda airport around 6:15 pm (1715 GMT) before being whisked away in a diplomatic motorcade, AFP reporters saw.
Ri was to hold talks with his Swedish counterpart Margot Wallstrom -- whose country represents US interests in Pyongyang -- on the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, a possible summit between Trump and Kim, and the fate of three Americans detained in the North.
The Scandinavian country has longstanding ties with North Korea. Its diplomatic mission in Pyongyang was the first Western embassy established in the country, in 1975.
International media have speculated that Sweden could be a potential location if a Trump-Kim summit were to be confirmed.
Sweden s foreign ministry would not comment on that possibility, saying in a statement only that the talks would "focus on Sweden s consular responsibilities as a protecting power for the United States, Canada and Australia."
"They will also address the security situation on the Korean peninsula, which is high on the (UN) Security Council agenda," it said. Sweden is currently a non-permanent member of the Security Council.
Ri was travelling with Choe Kang Il, deputy director general of the foreign ministry s North America section, according to South Korea s Yonhap news agency.
"We can t rule out the possibility of a contact between the North and the US" during Ri s trip to Sweden, a Beijing source told the news agency.
The Swedish foreign ministry has said there would not be any press conferences during his visit but that it would publish a statement on Friday evening after the conclusion of talks.
