US official's Seoul visit focuses on global supply chain issue, sidelining denuclearization talks

By Kang Seung-woo

President Moon Jae-in's ambitious proposal for an official declaration to end the Korean War, which he hopes to use as part of his efforts to engage North Korea in denuclearization talks, seems to have been shelved by the United States, with a senior U.S. official's visit here seemingly having a different primary agenda.

Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific Daniel Kritenbrink arrives at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific Daniel Kritenbrink is on a three-day trip to Seoul that started Wednesday, which features meetings with his South Korean counterpart Yeo Seung-bae, deputy minister for political affairs, and First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun.

However, his itinerary also includes talks with senior officials from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, as well as Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs Lee Seong-ho under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, raising expectations that they may discuss Washington's push to rally allies to establish supply chains that exclude China ― the top priority of the Joe Biden administration as part of its efforts to curb Beijing's global influence.

Plus, given that the assistant secretary is a China expert, his trip is further fueling such conjecture.

“I am pleased to be working with my ROK colleagues to advance our common goals. The ROK is one of our strongest allies in the Indo-Pacific and we work together across the world,” Kritenbrink wrote on Twitter after arriving in Seoul, Wednesday. The ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name.

Shin Beom-chul, director of the Center for Diplomacy and Security at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, said the meeting between representatives from the U.S. State Department and South Korean trade ministry was indicative of discussions on the supply chains issue.

“The United States wants to enhance cooperation on essential goods, including semiconductors and large capacity batteries for electric vehicles, with its allies, and in that respect, he will explain the U.S. stance and urge Korea to join the move,” Shin said.

Since President Moon Jae-in re-ignited the issue of formally ending the Korean War at the United Nations in September, believing that an end-of-war declaration would be a catalyst to resume nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang, his government has eagerly sought U.S. support for the idea, hoping that it would have opportunities to discuss the issue with the U.S. during Kritenbrink's visit.

However, Shin said this would not be high on the agenda.

“The U.S. answer to the South Korean request is 'No,' confirmed by the No. 2 security official next to President Biden,” he said.

Last month, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the two sides may “have somewhat different perspectives on the precise sequence or timing or conditions for different steps.”