SEOUL, South Korea -- Two weeks after North Korea failed to meet a Dec. 31 deadline to denuclearize, Washington is refraining from setting any new timetables, but has reiterated calls for North Korea to live up to agreements it made in October as part of six-party talks. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the top U.S. envoy to North Korea, has returned to Washington after making stops in the capitals of the states involved in the six-party talks with North Korea and the United States: Japan, South Korea, China and Russia. He did not meet with nor visit any Pyongyang officials. The State Department dispatched Hill to the region in an effort to build support for pressuring Kim Jong-il and to get negotiations back on track. Though a date for the resumption of the six-party talks was not set during his trip, Hill said the next round could begin later this month.
Washington Hesitant to Set New Deadline for North Korea
