No deal with North Korea

Despite reports out of Asia, no deal was struck during interactions between U.S. and North Korean negotiators at the conference in San Diego this week and North Korean representatives did not indicate in any public way that they were altering their position related to resuming the Six Party Talks.

The Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan's largest daily newspaper, reported Thursday that North Korean negotiator Ri Gun and U.S. Special Envoy Sung Kim agreed in principle to arrange a visit to Pyongyang by the end of November for Ambassador Stephen Bosworth.

Not so, administration sources tell The Cable. A State Department official said that no further bilateral meetings between the U.S. and North Korea are scheduled and it's not yet clear whether or not Sung Kim will go to New York tomorrow to meet with Ri Gun one more time before he leaves the country (many experts expect Kim to make the trip).

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters today, "The U.S. has made no decision for Ambassador Bosworth to accept the invitation of North Korea to have bilateral talks."

The Yomiuri report speculated that the Bosworth visit could lead to a resumption of the Six Party Talks before the end of the year. Insiders repeatedly warn that would only be possible if North Korea affirmed its commitment to the Sept. 19 declaration where it pledged to pursue nuclear disarmament.

One State Department source told The Cable that Ri made no such concessions in San Diego, at least in the group sessions. In fact, if he would have made any such statements, it would directly contradict public statements of Kim Jong Il, the Dear Leader.

State Department Korea desk chief Kurt Tong and Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell will go to Singapore November 6 to attend the beginning of the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. President Obama will attend the end of the conference Nov. 14 and 15.