Vegan US Secretary of State Visiting Korea This Week, Focus on North Korea Messages Including Possible North Korea-US Summit

From the 7th for three days, Director Lee Do-hoon and the diplomatic and security team expected to have broad contacts
Ahead of Deputy Secretary Biegun's visit to Korea, North Korea's Choe Son-hui, First Vice Minister, issues a statement

Lee Do-hoon, Director General for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Steve Biegun, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy at the Department of State, are holding a brief press conference on the 16th at the briefing room of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Steven Biegun, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and Special Representative for North Korea, is scheduled to visit South Korea on the 7th to share the situation on the Korean Peninsula and discuss ways to resume North Korea-U.S. dialogue. During his three-day stay in South Korea, Deputy Secretary Biegun is expected to meet with key officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including his dialogue partner Lee Do-hoon, head of the Ministry’s Peace and Security Affairs Bureau for the Korean Peninsula, as well as the foreign and security lines at the Blue House.

This visit marks Deputy Secretary Biegun’s first trip to South Korea in seven months since December last year. With the possibility of a North Korea-U.S. summit before the U.S. presidential election in November being raised mainly among South Korean and U.S. diplomatic circles, attention is focused on whether dialogue will resume. Lee Do-hoon visited the U.S. on the 17th of last month (local time) for the first time in five months, reportedly discussing the situation on the Korean Peninsula as well as the much-criticized U.S.-South Korea working group, which has recently faced calls for abolition or restructuring.

In particular, following the deadlock in South Korea-North Korea-U.S. talks and the sharp rise in tensions last month, the Blue House replaced its foreign and security team on the 3rd, raising expectations about whether this could mark a turning point. The Blue House has nominated Lee In-young, a four-term National Assembly member and former floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, as the new Minister of Unification, and named Suh Hoon, Director of the National Intelligence Service, as the successor to National Security Advisor Chung Eui-yong. Park Jie-won, a four-term lawmaker and distinguished professor at Dankook University, has been nominated as the new head of the National Intelligence Service.

It is widely expected that Deputy Secretary Biegun will deliver some form of message regarding North Korea during this visit. Although on the 29th of last month he expressed skepticism about the possibility of resuming North Korea-U.S. talks before the U.S. election, saying "probably not," this is a time when managing the situation on the Korean Peninsula and preventing provocations from North Korea are more necessary than ever ahead of the election.

Above all, former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton raised the possibility of a "October Surprise" by mentioning the potential resumption of North Korea-U.S. summits, and current National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien also emphasized that "the door to dialogue and progress (with North Korea) remains open," adding that "an October Surprise is not impossible," raising expectations for the resumption of North Korea-U.S. talks. Some speculate that discussions could also cover the upcoming August South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises, humanitarian aid to North Korea, and improvements to the U.S.-South Korea working group.

On the 2nd, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha stated at a press conference for domestic media, "The government is focusing on managing the situation on the Korean Peninsula without letting go of the tension," adding, "We intend to maintain a firm readiness posture while monitoring the situation on the Korean Peninsula and focusing efforts on creating momentum for dialogue between South and North Korea and between North Korea and the U.S." She further said, "We will continue to strengthen cooperation with the international community, including major countries, based on South Korea-U.S. coordination."

North Korea responded negatively but promptly ahead of Deputy Secretary Biegun’s visit.

Choe Son-hui, First Vice Minister responsible for U.S. affairs, issued a statement through the Korean Central News Agency the day before, saying, "It is astonishing that rumors of a summit are being publicized, ignoring the current sensitive state of U.S.-North Korea relations," dismissing the "October Surprise" raised in the U.S. as fantasy. The fact that Vice Minister Choe issued a related statement just before Biegun’s visit is seen as an indirect indication that North Korea is closely monitoring the situation. Vice Minister Choe has served as the chief negotiator for North Korea-U.S. talks since 2018 and has been Deputy Secretary Biegun’s dialogue partner.

However, Vice Minister Choe appeared to moderate the level of direct criticism toward President Moon Jae-in and former U.S. President Donald Trump. She said, "Can dialogue or negotiations be established with the U.S., which persistently clings to hostile policies toward North Korea, disregarding the summit agreements already achieved?" and added, "It is obvious without even meeting what kind of tricks the U.S., which has no determination to make a new deal with us, will bring." She also stated, "There are people who recklessly express intentions to mediate without any consideration of how the parties involved think."

Professor Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies interpreted, "This could be part of pressure on the Trump administration," adding, "By revealing plans to threaten the U.S. in the long term and announcing military actions for provocations against the South and pressure on the U.S. in the second half of the year, North Korea is maximizing its negotiating power in preparation for the future."

Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary Biegun is also expected to hold a briefing for the Korean media, including a brief press conference, after arriving in Seoul.

[Image source=Yonhap News]