Senior U.S. diplomat to visit Seoul over N.K.

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The top U.S. point man on East Asia will travel to South Korea later this week to discuss North Korea and other pending issues between the allies, the State Department announced Tuesday.

Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel plans to arrive in Seoul on Thursday for a three-day stay, it said in a press release.

In Seoul, Russel will meet with senior South Korean officials “to consult and coordinate on the wide range of issues of importance to our alliance, including North Korea, regional cooperation and global issues,” the department said.

It would mark his first trip to the region since taking office in July.

Having served at the White House for more than four years, the career diplomat is known to have played a key role in Obama‘s efforts to reach out to the Asia-Pacific region.

Russel is also scheduled to visit Japan, Brunei, Indonesia and China before returning to Washington on Saturday, according to the department.

In addition to Russel, Amb. Glyn Davies, the U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, has separate plans to visit South Korea, China and Japan next week, a diplomatic source said. (Yonhap News)