WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- The top nuclear negotiators of South Korea and the United States will jointly address a public forum in Washington later this month, organizers said Friday, amid a protracted stalemate in talks with North Korea.
Lee Do-hoon (left), Seoul's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, meets with US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun in Seoul on May 10, 2019. (Yonhap)
Lee Do-hoon, Seoul‘s special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and his US counterpart, Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun, will deliver keynote remarks at the Atlantic Council-East Asia Foundation Strategic Dialogue on June 19, the council said on its website.
“This day-long conference will explore the current state of the United States and Republic of Korea’s ongoing negotiations with North Korea and the broader strategic picture developing in the Indo-Pacific,” it said.
The think tank also noted that it will be Lee‘s first public speech in the US and the first time the two envoys speak on the same stage.
Next week marks one year since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump held their historic first summit in Singapore and agreed to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for security guarantees for Pyongyang.
Implementation of the deal has stalled due to differences over the scope of North Korea’s denuclearization and sanctions relief from the US.
Negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have effectively been suspended since the second summit in February in Vietnam ended without a deal.
The forum will feature panel discussions involving South Korean and US lawmakers, including Rep. Hong Ihk-pyo of the ruling Democratic Party and Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA), co-chair of the congressional caucus on Korea.
Former US Special Representative for North Korea Policy Joseph Yun and Moon Chung-in, special adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, are also among the participants.
Moon and Trump are set to hold talks in Seoul at the end of this month.