Seoul is new US nuclear negotiator's first stop

By Yi Whan-woo

Stephen Biegun, a former Ford executive and Washington's newly-appointed chief negotiator for Pyongyang's denuclearization, will visit South Korea from Monday to Wednesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday.

This will be Biegun's first Seoul trip after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appointed him as the Department of State's special representative for North Korea, Aug. 23.

South Korea will be Biegun's first stop on a three-nation Asia trip, including Japan and China, from Monday to Saturday.

He is scheduled to meet Lee Do-hoon, South Korea's top nuclear envoy, and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha during his stay here.

“We'll have a chance to share our government's perspective on the security developments on the peninsula and also to listen to the U.S. perspective during Biegun's stay here,” a foreign ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

The official said the two allies will especially discuss concrete measures for denuclearization before a third summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang from Sept. 18 to 20.

In a statement released Thursday, the U.S. Department of State said Biegun will “meet his counterparts and continue diplomatic efforts to achieve the final, fully verified denuclearization (FFVD) of North Korea.”

It also said Biegun spoke on the phone to Lee, Friday.

Biegun's Asia trip comes after the abrupt resignation of his predecessor Joseph Yun in February, and concerns over a dearth of U.S. expertise in denuclearization talks among six parties _ the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia.

Pompeo has been leading U.S. efforts for President Donald Trump's goal of FFVD, as agreed to by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their summit in June.

The nuclear disarmament talks have been deadlocked, and Washington has been calling on Seoul to place inter-Korean relations in tandem with denuclearization.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of State has yet to announce any trips to North Korea or Russia for Biegun.

Biegun was to accompany Pompeo on the latter's fourth trip to North Korea, Aug. 24, before Trump canceled the visit citing a lack of “sufficient progress” in the nuclear disarmament talks.

Biegun served in several national security and foreign policy roles before joining Ford in 2004, including as a foreign policy adviser to members of the House of Representatives and the Senate.