DPRK Special Envoy Visits WashingtonVice Marshal Cho Myong Rok, a special envoy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Il, arrived in Washington Monday night for a four-day visit, the first of its kind since the end of the Korean War in 1953.Cho, who is also first vice-chairman of the DPRK National Defense Commission, is expected to meet with U.S. President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on Tuesday and with Defense Minister William Cohen on Wednesday. The two sides are expected to discuss issues such as bilateral relations, easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula and anti-terrorism. Albright, who is the official host, is scheduled to entertain Cho and his entourage with a banquet at the State Department on Tuesday evening. The visit, hailed as "historic," is widely believed to be an important opportunity for Pyongyang and Washington to further improve bilateral relations and contribute to the stability and reduction of tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Cho first flew to San Francisco on Sunday, where he was received by former Defense Secretary William Perry. Cho's visit was regarded as reciprocal in response to Perry's trip to the DPRK in May 1999. |
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