**Nuclear negotiators from China and South Korea have opened talks in the South Korean capital, Seoul, about how to handle the threat from the North.**The officials said their goal was to have frank and in-depth discussions.
The talks take place amid new rumours about the ill health of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, with unconfirmed reports he has pancreatic cancer.
The United Nations stepped up sanctions against the North after its nuclear and missile tests of May.
“What is important is that the two sides have frank and in-depth consultations,” Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei was reported as saying by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
He was meeting Wi Sung-lac, the South Korean special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs.
Mr Wu, who chairs the international talks on the North’s nuclear programme, arrived in Seoul on Sunday. He had already visited Russia, the United States, and Japan which, with the two Koreas and China, make up the six-party negotiations.
These talks faltered last year when North Korea and the US could not agree on verification procedures to asses the full extent of the North’s programmes.
Health speculation
This second meeting in a month between Mr Wu and Mr Wi comes amid heightened speculation about the health of the North’s Mr Kim.
A South Korean television news report said Mr Kim had life-threatening pancreatic cancer, diagnosed around the same time as he was thought to have a stroke last August.
The report was based on unnamed South Korean and Chinese intelligence sources and has not been confirmed.
Mr Kim, now 67 years old, was seen on 8 July, attending a memorial to mark the 15th anniversary of his father’s death.
He appeared gaunt and thin, with a slight limp, prompting more questions about his health.
It has been widely reported that Mr Kim’s third son, Kim Jong-un, is being groomed as his heir, although the regime has made no announcement.