South Korea & North Korea Will Discuss Nuclear in Bali

South Korean nuclear envoy and North Korea is expected to meet on the sidelines of the Asia Forum in Bali on Friday (22/07/2011) in their first high-level talks since the escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula last year.

Wi Sung-lac, the South Korean nuclear envoy, and Ri Yong-ho, deputy foreign minister in charge of North Korea's nuclear diplomacy, is expected to meet for informal talks on the sidelines of a meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers, according to Yonhap news agency reported .

Meanwhile in Washington, the future United States ambassador to South Korea next voiced doubts, North Korea would be willing to return to the negotiating table, although it does encourage the talks.

"We're not sure that they are really ready for a serious return to diplomacy and negotiations," Kin Sung, who currently serves as special envoy for the six-party talks stalled a long time.

Kin also said in the Senate during his nomination hearing to Seoul. "That's why I think Seoul and Washington both have been very careful to return to the negotiating table. Given what has happened in the past two years, I think North Korea needs to prove that they actually would be a serious partner when continuing negotiations," he said.

North Korea withdrew from the six-nation talks in 2009, accused the United hostile. Then Pyongyang's nuclear bomb test last year and do shootings against civilians in the island of South Korea and allegedly sank the South Korean navy vessel, killing 50 people.