SEOUL– The U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs is expected to visit Seoul next week in his first Asia trip since taking office in September, sources said Wednesday.
Seoul and Washington’s diplomatic officials were arranging the details of Daniel Kritenbrink’s Seoul visit, scheduled for Nov. 10-13, during which he is expected to meet with his South Korean counterpart, Yeo Seung-bae, and discuss North Korea and other regional issues, according to the sources.
Kritenbrink’s envisioned visit comes as Seoul and Washington are in brisk talks to bring the North back to denuclearization negotiations, which have been virtually frozen since the U.S.-North Korea Hanoi summit in February 2019.
A career diplomat, Kritenbrink spent time working in Tokyo and Beijing, and served as the U.S. ambassador to Vietnam from 2017 until taking up the position as assistant secretary of state.
Source: Yonhap News Agency