Vegan US Deputy Secretary of State Criticizes Choe Son-hui and Bolton as "Trapped in Old Mindsets" with Unusually Strong Tone

Mentioned in Press Release from US Embassy in Korea... Not Referenced in Actual Remarks

Lee Do-hoon, Director General for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, and Stephen Biegun, U.S. Department of State Deputy Secretary and Special Representative for North Korea Policy, are coming out of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Seoul on the morning of the 8th after concluding their talks and holding a press conference. Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Steven Biegun, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and Special Representative for North Korea, who arrived on the 7th and is staying in Korea until the 9th, unusually raised his voice in criticism of Choe Son-hui, First Vice Minister of the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton, saying they are "locked in an old way of thinking, focusing on the negative and the impossible."

After concluding talks with Lee Do-hoon, Director General for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the chief negotiator on North Korea's nuclear issues, on the 8th, Deputy Secretary Biegun said in a press release distributed by the U.S. Embassy in Korea, "I do not take instructions from Choe Son-hui, First Vice Minister of the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, nor do I take instructions from former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton," adding, "Both are locked in an old way of thinking and focus only on the negative and the impossible rather than thinking creatively about what is possible."

At a meeting with reporters immediately after the chief negotiators' talks on North Korea's nuclear issues that day, Deputy Secretary Biegun stated regarding First Vice Minister Choe and former Advisor Bolton, "I do not take instructions from Choe Son-hui, First Vice Minister, nor from former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton," and "I follow the guidance based on the results of several meetings between President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un over the past two years." However, there was no mention of the criticism that "both are locked in an old way of thinking and focus only on the negative and the impossible."

The U.S. Embassy in Korea distributed this content as remarks made by Deputy Secretary Biegun after the chief negotiators' talks held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in the morning. It fully contained the strong criticism of First Vice Minister Choe and former Advisor Bolton, which was not expressed during the meeting with reporters.

The press release also included the statement, "Dialogue leads to action, but action is impossible without dialogue." Although the remarks were prepared in advance, it is possible that the tone was moderated during the direct mention after the chief negotiators' talks.

Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary Biegun previously expressed full support for the South Korean government's efforts for inter-Korean cooperation. He said, "We believe that inter-Korean cooperation plays an important role in creating a more stable environment on the Korean Peninsula," and "We fully support the South Korean government’s efforts to promote inter-Korean cooperation and expect to fully support advancing goals with North Korea in inter-Korean cooperation."

Director General Lee Do-hoon also said, "We had in-depth discussions on ways to open the door to dialogue in light of the current situation," and "We emphasized that dialogue and negotiation are the only methods and that both countries must do their utmost for this."