France's envoy to North Korea has arrived in Pyongyang on a fact-finding mission that will include talks on establishing diplomatic ties.
Jack Lang, appointed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, flew to the North Korean capital from Beijing, China, on Monday afternoon.
He and his delegation are to have talks with North Korean senior government officials during their 5-day stay.
Lang told reporters at the airport in Beijing that he was carrying a letter from the French President to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. He said the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations will be one of the topics of discussion.
He also expressed readiness to meet Kim Jong Il in person, saying he hopes to meet as high ranking an official as possible.
France is the only key member of the European Union that has not established diplomatic ties with North Korea.
2009/11/09 17:47(JST)
(JST: UTC+9hrs.)
http://www.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/09_21.html
Tue Nov 10, 2009 4:33 pm