U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Affairs Sung Kim Visits South Korea to Discuss North Korea Strategy

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] Sung Kim, the U.S. Special Representative for North Korea at the State Department, will visit South Korea from the 19th to the 23rd to discuss strategies toward North Korea.

Sung Kim, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, is moving to attend the 'U.S.-Korea Bilateral Policy Dialogue (BPD)' held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 19th. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

With messages leaving the possibility of dialogue open from Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, coinciding with Kim's visit, the prospects for future North Korea-U.S. talks have increased.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 18th, Kim will hold consultations on North Korea nuclear issues with Noh Kyu-duk, Director General for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the 21st.

During Kim's visit, Takehiro Funakoshi, Director of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will also visit South Korea, and on the same day, trilateral consultations among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan on North Korea nuclear issues, as well as bilateral consultations between South Korea and Japan, are scheduled to be held consecutively.

Additionally, during his visit, Kim is expected to meet with high-ranking officials in the diplomatic and security sectors, including Lee In-young, Minister of Unification, and Park Jie-won, Director of the National Intelligence Service.

It is also reported that arrangements are underway for Kim to pay a courtesy call on President Moon Jae-in.

Although there is speculation that Kim might contact the North Korean side at Panmunjom, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has drawn a line, stating, "Such a schedule is not being pursued."

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "During the visit, through bilateral consultations between South Korea and the U.S. and trilateral consultations among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, we will discuss cooperation measures for substantial progress toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of lasting peace."

Attention is focused on what message Kim will deliver to North Korea as this is his first visit to the Korean Peninsula since assuming the role of Special Representative for North Korea. As the Biden administration’s first Special Representative for North Korea to visit, a message urging dialogue may be expected.

Last month’s joint statement from the South Korea-U.S. summit included a commitment to dialogue with North Korea based on the Singapore Agreement and the Panmunjom Declaration, and the joint statement from the Group of Seven (G7) summit mentioned CVID (Complete, Verifiable, and Irreversible Denuclearization).

In diplomatic circles, considering that North Korean General Secretary Kim Jong-un issued a message coinciding with Kim’s visit stating that "we must be prepared for both dialogue and confrontation," there is an increased expectation for North Korea-U.S. and inter-Korean dialogue.

However, since the Biden administration’s North Korea strategy is bottom-up, it is unlikely that there will be dramatic developments such as a summit meeting like during former President Donald Trump’s administration.