I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
Steinberg to meet Seoul officials today
By Kang Hyun-kyung
James Steinberg, deputy secretary of the U.S. State Department, will visit Seoul today to brief senior officials on the results of U.S.-China summit held in Washington.
Steinberg’s Seoul visit comes days after U.S. President Barack Obama met his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao in Washington for summit talks through which the two leaders shared concerns over North Korea’s enriched uranium program.
During his first stop of the East Asia trip, the U.S. official will pay a courtesy visit to President Lee Myung-bak and meet Chun Yong-woo, senior presidential secretary on foreign affairs and national security.
Steinberg will also meet Kim Sung-hwan, minister of foreign affairs and trade, and other senior diplomats to discuss North Korea and the steps needed for the resumption of the six-party talks.
The U.S. official will reportedly remark that there has been no change in Washington’s position that progress in South-North Korea relations is a precondition to resuming the stalled six-party talks.
He is also expected to express concern over the reclusive North’s enriched-uranium program which it disclosed to a visiting U.S. scientist last year.
Earlier, Washington and Seoul said that the North’s uranium program is a violation of the September 19 agreement, as well as the U.N. Security Council resolution 1874.
China, which remained silent over North Korea’s uranium program, expressed concern in the joint U.S.-China summit statement released after the Obama-Hu summit last week.
Seoul called it progress in that China made its position on the matter public for the first time after the North unveiled the centrifuge plant.
A government official said on condition of anonymity that Washington will play a leading role in the campaign to discuss the uranium program at the United Nations Security Council, as it poses a grave threat to nonproliferation.
After the meeting, Steinberg is scheduled to meet reporters.
The U.S. official will leave Seoul for Tokyo in the evening and meet Japanese officials the next day. After wrapping up the meeting, he will head to China to meet senior Chinese officials.