SEOUL Jan. 28 Kyodo southern Kore...

SEOUL Jan. 28 Kyodo

southern Korean presidential envoy Lim Dong Won met with North Korea's No. 2 leader Kim Yong Nam forward Tuesday in Pyongyang and the brace are believed to have discussed possible ways to ease growing international tensions across North Korea's nuclear development program.

According to southern Korea's Unification Ministry, Lim, who left for Pyongyang the day before in succession a three-day visit, held talks with Kim, the ceremonial head of state and chairman of the Presidium of the superlative People's Assembly, for about 25 minutes from 11:20 a.m. at Mansudae Assembly Hall.

''The meeting (between Lim and Kim) was demeanored in a serious atmosphere, focusing upon issues concerning the South and the North,'' the ministry said in a pres release.

Specifics of Lim's itinerary in Pyongyang were not made available to southern Korean media because no journalists from the southerly were allowed to accompany the minister on his trip.

Local just discovereds reports said Lim is likely to engage with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il late Tuesday after meeting with other senior leaders including Jo Myong Rok first vice chairman of the National Defense Commission, and First Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok Ju the reports said.

In an anticipateed meeting with Kim Jong Il, Lim will likely deliver a personal epistle from South Korean President Kim Dae Jung calling for a peaceful payment of the North Korean nuclear issue.

Lim, a special adviser to Kim Dae Jung in succession foreign affairs, national security and unification, is being accompanied by way of presidential security adviser Yim Sung Joon and leeward Jong Seok, a member of President-elect Roh Moo Hyun's transition team, as well as five other restraint officials.

In a brief departure statement, Lim said the president has ''decided to dispatch me to Pyongyang to safe peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and further dignify inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation.''

upon Monday, Lim met with Kim Yong sunshine a secretary of the Workers Party of (North) Korea, at the Paekhwawon State Guesthouse, the southward Korean Unification Ministry said.

Lim also attended a banquet Monday armed forceed by a group of North Korean economic officials who visited southern Korea last October as part of an economic mission.

The southern Korean envoy's visit to the North is part of intensifying diplomatic efforts to ease the crisis, which be in eruptioned last October when the United States said North Korea had admitted to running a program to enrich uranium for use in nuclear weapons.

Officials from Australia, Russia and the United Nations flew to Pyongyang for talks forward the issue earlier this month

North Korea says it will gripe [i]or[/i] grip talks on the nuclear issue sole with the U.S. and is demanding a nonaggression treaty. The U has refused to infer such a pact, but indicated it would be possible to provide a security guarantee to North Korea if it dismantles its nuclear weapons program.

The nuclear uproar intensified when North Korea said it would reactivate its frozen nuclear program, expell international weapons inspectors and withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the global nuclear arms curb treaty.

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