US spy chief in Seoul for talks on N. Korea

SEOUL – US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper is visiting South Korea for talks with senior officials on North Korea and other issues, a report said Monday.

Yonhap news agency, citing a Seoul government source, said Clapper was scheduled to meet Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan, Defence Minister Kim Kwan-Jin and national intelligence chief Won Sei-Hoon.

“Director Clapper arrived in South Korea last weekend and is meeting with senior officials,” Yonhap quoted the official as saying.

It said topics are expected to include North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il’s visit to China last week.

South Korea’s spy agency and defence ministry declined to confirm the visit and officials at the US embassy were not immediately available for comment.

Analysts said Kim’s visit to China, the impoverished communist state’s sole major ally, was aimed at securing economic support and Beijing’s backing for an eventual power transfer to his youngest son.

The director of national intelligence oversees the 16 agencies that make up the US intelligence community, including the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency.