The United States says it will continue its diplomatic efforts to denuclearize North Korea,...
despite news that its pointman on the regime is retiring.
This comes amid heightened hopes for U.S.-North Korea talks following South Korea's successful
hosting of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
Park Soyun reports.
The announcement came just as signs were emerging that Pyongyang may be willing to talk to Washington.
The U.S. special representative for North Korea policy Joseph Yun says he will step
down from his post at the end of this week.
He said the decision was entirely his own,... but the timing comes at a surprising juncture,...
as South Korea recently relayed that North Korea is open to direct discussions with the
United States.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sought to dissuade him, but reluctantly accepted
Yun's resignation "with regret."
Yun, like Tillerson, is an advocate of engaging in dialogue with Pyongyang --- a tricky position
to take amid the Trump's administration's policy of applying maximum pressure over engagement.
Joseph Yun's diplomatic career spans more than three decades, serving as Ambassador
to Malaysia from 2013 to 2016 under then-President Barack Obama.
Yun played a key role in tackling North Korea's nuclear issues as the U.S. special representative
for North Korea, appointed by the Obama Administration in October 2016.
He also played an instrumental role in releasing Otto Warmbier, an American student detained
in North Korea for more than a year.
Yun's authority to negotiate with North Korea appeared to be undermined by a tug-of-war
between the White House and the State Department over the direction of North Korea policy under
the Trump administration.
However, Yun told the Washington Post that his retirement was not a decision based on
policy differences with President Trump or his inner circle.
He added that he's 'very hopeful' about the prospect of talks resolving the standoff over
North Korea's nuclear program.
Nevertheless,... his departure will leave the Trump administration without an envoy
for engaging North Korea or an ambassador in Seoul, a spot that has been vacant for
a year.
Park Soyun, Arirang News.
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