Vegan US Deputy Secretary Official Schedule Begins... Morning of the 8th Visit to Minister Kang Kyung-hwa

Strategic Dialogue Between 1st Vice Minister Jo Se-young and Deputy Foreign Minister to Address Bilateral Issues Including G7, EPN, and Defense Cost Negotiations
Director Lee Do-hoon and Chief North Korea Nuclear Representative Hold Talks

The plane carrying Steve Biegun, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and Special Representative for North Korea, is arriving at Osan Air Base on the 7th. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Steven Biegun, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and Special Representative for North Korea, who arrived in Korea on the 7th, will begin his official schedule starting with a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 8th, Deputy Secretary Biegun will pay a visit to Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Doryeom-dong, Seoul, in the morning. Afterwards, he will hold the 8th Korea-U.S. Deputy Foreign Ministers Strategic Dialogue with First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Se-young. This visit marks Biegun’s first trip to Korea this year since December last year, and it will be his first face-to-face meeting with Vice Minister Cho since his promotion to Deputy Secretary.

At the Deputy Foreign Ministers Strategic Dialogue, issues concerning Korea-U.S. bilateral matters and regional and global cooperation measures are expected to be discussed. In particular, there will likely be an exchange of views on the Korea-U.S. Special Measures Agreement (SMA) negotiations, which have been in a seven-month agreement gap this year, and on participation in the Economic Prosperity Network (EPN), which the U.S. is actively promoting as an 'anti-China economic bloc.' The U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to expand the Group of Seven (G7) may also be discussed.

Following the Deputy Ministers’ dialogue, Biegun is scheduled to meet Lee Do-hoon, Director-General for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for Korea-U.S. senior-level talks on North Korea nuclear issues. The two countries are expected to share assessments of the situation on the Korean Peninsula and discuss cooperation measures for complete denuclearization and the establishment of lasting peace. Director-General Lee visited the U.S. on the 17th of last month and held consultations with Deputy Secretary Biegun. Attention is focused on the North Korea-related message that Deputy Secretary Biegun will deliver immediately after the senior-level talks.

However, just before Biegun’s visit to the U.S., North Korea and the U.S. showed significant differences in their positions, lowering the possibility of contact with North Korea that some had hoped for. North Korea recently made it clear in two statements that it has no intention of sitting down with the U.S. The U.S. State Department also emphasized strengthening coordination on North Korea’s final, fully verified denuclearization (FFVD). While North Korea demands effective alternatives for sanctions against it, the U.S. emphasized that the precondition of denuclearization first (prior denuclearization) remains unchanged, putting FFVD at the forefront.

After completing his schedule at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the morning, Deputy Secretary Biegun is expected to hold a private luncheon and then meet with domestic political and government figures. In particular, he is likely to exchange views with the Blue House’s foreign and security officials. President Moon has recently appointed Seo Hoon as the new National Security Office Director, Park Jie-won as the Director of the National Intelligence Service, and Lee In-young as the nominee for Minister of Unification.

Deputy Secretary Biegun is scheduled to conclude his visit to Korea by the 9th and then proceed to Japan.

Steve Biegun, U.S. Department of State Special Representative for North Korea Policy, visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 16th and held talks with Lee Do-hoon, Director General for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@