'Farewell Visit to Korea' Will Vice Secretary Biegun Deliver a Message to North Korea... Public Lecture Also Scheduled

Vegan Deputy Secretary to Visit Korea from 8th to 11th... Diplomatic Vice Minister Talks and North Korea Nuclear Chief Representative Consultations
Meetings with Minister Lee In-young and Various Diplomatic and Security Officials... Expected to Share Reflections in Public Lecture on 10th

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

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Steven Biegun, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State who has served as the Special Representative for North Korea for over two years under the Donald Trump administration, will visit South Korea on the 8th. This visit is effectively his last trip to Korea while in office, during which he will hold talks and meetings with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' dialogue partners, Minister of Unification Lee In-young, the National Intelligence Service, and foreign and security officials from the Blue House. On the 10th, he is also expected to deliver a public lecture at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, reflecting on his experiences.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 8th, Deputy Secretary Biegun is scheduled to enter the country in the evening via Osan Air Base. This visit marks his first trip to Korea in five months since July, accompanied by Alex Wong, U.S. State Department Deputy Special Representative for North Korea, and Alison Hooker, National Security Council (NSC) advisor at the White House.

Deputy Secretary Biegun will begin his four-day visit on the 9th with a vice ministerial meeting with Choi Jong-geun, First Vice Minister, continuing through the 11th. The vice ministerial talks are expected to cover bilateral issues including discussions on the Korea-U.S. director-level diplomatic consultative body called the "Alliance Dialogue," which both sides agreed to establish since September, as well as negotiations on the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) for defense cost-sharing. In particular, Biegun is expected to reiterate the U.S. position on the Indo-Pacific strategy, which key U.S. administration officials such as Mark Naeper, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, have emphasized whenever possible, and its linkage with the Moon Jae-in administration’s New Southern Policy.

He also plans to meet with Lee Do-hoon, Director General for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with whom he has built a partnership since August 2018 while serving as Special Representative for North Korea, to exchange views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula including North Korea before the inauguration of the new U.S. administration. The government expressed gratitude for Biegun’s close cooperation on the Korean Peninsula peace process and is reported to request a smooth handover to ensure close cooperation between South Korea and the U.S. under the Biden administration.

Additionally, he is scheduled to hold meetings with Minister of Unification Lee In-young, the National Intelligence Service, and foreign and security officials from the Blue House, with a possibility of meeting President Moon Jae-in. The meeting with Minister Lee is expected to focus on stable management of the Korean Peninsula situation during the U.S. administration transition period rather than sending messages aimed at breakthroughs in North Korea-U.S. negotiations.

Unusually, on the 10th, he will also give a public lecture at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. At this event, Deputy Secretary Biegun is expected to share his reflections on Korea-U.S. relations and practical negotiations with North Korea during his tenure as U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and Special Representative for North Korea, while urging North Korea to resume dialogue.

For his final schedule, on the evening of the 11th, he will attend a dinner hosted by Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official explained, “Minister Kang plans to hold an encouragement dinner inviting Deputy Secretary Biegun and the U.S. delegation,” adding, “The dinner will evaluate the efforts made by Deputy Secretary Biegun and the U.S. side to advance Korea-U.S. relations and the Korean Peninsula peace process, and will also request continued interest and support from the U.S. side going forward.”

Steven Biegun, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and Special Representative for North Korea Policy, is speaking in a series of meetings with Cho Se-young, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Lee Do-hoon, Director General for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Seoul on the morning of the 8th. Photo by Joint Press Corps

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