'North Korea Policy Chief' Kevin Kim, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Visits Korea

It was reported on the 25th that Kevin Kim, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, who is in charge of North Korea policy in the second Trump administration, is currently visiting South Korea.

According to diplomatic sources on the day, Deputy Assistant Secretary Kim arrived on the 23rd and held meetings with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' North American Affairs Bureau and the Korean Peninsula Policy Bureau. It is believed that they discussed issues such as the ROK-U.S. alliance and North Korea policy.

This is the first time a State Department official from the second Trump administration has directly visited South Korea. Deputy Assistant Secretary Kim previously served in the State Department's Office of the Special Representative for North Korea Policy during the first Trump administration from 2018 to 2020. He was involved in North Korea diplomacy, including the North Korea-U.S. summits, alongside former Special Representative Stephen Biegun, and has attracted attention by being reappointed in the second administration.

As the second Trump administration has yet to announce a specific direction regarding North Korea policy, this visit is seen as a practical, working-level trip. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official stated, "The ROK and U.S. are maintaining close communication at all levels on various matters."

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