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| ▲ This undated file photo shows Michael DeSombre, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs. (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) S Korea-US-diplomacy
(LEAD) Top U.S. diplomat for East Asia holds talks with Seoul officials on alliance, N. Korea
(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES story as talks began)
By Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, March 12 (Yonhap) -- The top U.S. diplomat for East Asia policy held talks with Seoul officials Thursday on key bilateral and regional issues, including the alliance, North Korea and likely the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
Michael DeSombre, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, met with Chung Eui-hae, deputy foreign minister for political affairs, and was set later to meet separately with Jeong Yeon-doo, vice minister for diplomatic strategy and intelligence overseeing North Korea issues, officials said.
He will also meet with Park Jong-han, deputy foreign minister for economic affairs.
It marks the first official visit by the top U.S. diplomat in charge of South Korea-related issues. DeSombre arrived in Seoul from Tokyo on Wednesday for a five-day trip, the second leg of his swing through Asia that also includes a stop in Mongolia.
His visit came ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's expected trip to China in late March and early April amid speculation that Trump could seek to reengage with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who has left open the possibility of resuming dialogue on the condition that the U.S. drops its hostile policy against Pyongyang.
Seoul believes Trump's upcoming visit to Beijing could serve as a breakthrough in the stalled diplomacy with North Korea, as the North refuses to restore inter-Korean ties and has played down the Lee Jae Myung government's rapprochement gestures as "deceptive."
DeSombre and Jeong are expected to discuss the situation on the Korean Peninsula and efforts to bring Pyongyang back to dialogue.
He could also address the ongoing Middle East crisis during his meetings with Seoul officials.
His visit also came at a time when a special bill on South Korea's US$350 billion investment package for the U.S. is widely expected to pass at a National Assembly plenary session Thursday.
The bill's passage is expected to help move forward trade and security agreements reached over two summits between Lee and Trump last year.
The implementation has been stalled amid legislative delays in Seoul, with a growing view that U.S. involvement in the Middle East crisis has further disrupted the process.
Among the key summit agreements is U.S. support for South Korea's efforts to acquire nuclear-powered submarines and secure uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing capabilities for peaceful use.
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