WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th December, 2020) US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun will visit South Korea this week, the US State Department announced in a statement.
"Deputy Secretary of State and Special Representative for North Korea Stephen E. Biegun will travel to Seoul December 8-11. He will meet with officials in the Republic of Korea to discuss the U.S.-ROK Alliance and our shared commitment to regional security, stability, and prosperity throughout the Indo-Pacific, and continued close coordination on North Korea," the Sunday statement says.
The South Korean Foreign Ministry said on Monday that Biegun planned to meet with First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jung-kun and South Korea's representative for nuclear talks Lee Do-hoon on Wednesday.
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will hold a banquet for Biegun on December 11, according to the foreign ministry.
According to South Korean media reports, the talks in Seoul will be aimed at ensuring stability on the Korean peninsula and the issue of US troop presence in South Korea might also be discussed.
Last month, South Korean media reported that Biegun was expected to visit South Korea in December as part of a multi-nation Asia tour and was likely to be accompanied by Alex Wong, the US State Department's deputy envoy for North Korean affairs.
The US-North Korea negotiations have been in limbo since last year and the inter-Korean dialogue has been stalled since June, when Pyongyang cut all communications lines with Seoul after tensions over propaganda leaflets sent in from the South.
