President Obama Announces Date of Special Envoy Visit to North Korea

At a joint press availability with South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak Thursday morning, President Obama announced that Stephen Bosworth, the special envoy to North Korea, will be headed to that rogue regime for direct talks with the government on December 8.

"Our message is clear," said the president. "If North Korea is prepared to talk concrete and irreversible steps to fulfill its obligations and eliminate its nuclear weapons program, the United States will support economic assistance and help promote its full integration into the community obligations. That opportunity and respect will not come with threats. North Korea must live up to its obligations.”

Bosworth, a former US Ambassador to South Korea, will be the highest-level Obama administration official to meet with the North Korean government. The primary purpose of his visit will be to encourage North Korea to end its nuclear weapons program, but other issues such as humanitarian aid will no doubt also be discussed.

- Jake Tapper and Yunji de Nies