(LEAD) N. Korean, Swedish foreign ministers conclude rare talks

All News 14:06 March 18, 2018

(ATTN: UPDATES with North Korean media report in paras 4,5)

STOCKHOLM, March 18 (Yonhap) -- The foreign ministers of North Korea and Sweden have ended their three-day talks, which were widely expected to deal with the planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and the North's leader Kim Jong-un, as well as American citizens detained in the North.

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho arrived in Stockholm on Thursday for talks with his Swedish counterpart, Margot Elisabeth Wallstrom. Ri's trip was originally scheduled for two days but was extended until Saturday.

"The talks focused primarily on the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, which is high on the U.N. Security Council agenda," the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs said in a brief statement Saturday. The ministry also said Ri paid a courtesy call on Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven.

The North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a short dispatch that Ri paid a courtesy call on Lofven and had talks with Wallstrom.

"The issue of bilateral relations and other issues of mutual concern were discussed at the courtesy call and talks," the KNCA reported in English.

The two sides didn't mention the planned summit. Ri's trip has spawned speculation that the meeting may be aimed at laying the groundwork for a proposed summit between the leaders of the U.S. and North Korea. Sweden, which has an embassy in Pyongyang, serves as a communication channel for the U.S. in dealings with North Korea.

Earlier this month, Trump accepted Kim's invitation to meet following a year of heightened tensions over North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile tests. Trump said the meeting would take place by May.

The two sides may have also discussed the possible release of three U.S. citizens detained in the North. The North is currently holding Kim Dong-chul, Tony Kim and Kim Hak-song. In the past, Pyongyang has used detained Americans as leverage to force the U.S. to open bilateral talks.