hankyoreh

By Lee Seung-jun and Park Min-hee, staff reporters and Jung E-gil, senior staff writer

Donald Gregg, a former US ambassador to South Korea, arrived in Pyongyang on Feb. 10, Korean Central News Agency and APTN reported. Gregg is visiting North Korea at a time when the release of Kenneth Bae, a Korean American who has been detained in North Korea for 15 months, is a sensitive issue between Washington and Pyongyang.

APTN reported that Gregg was accompanied by four representatives of the Pacific Century Institute, a non-governmental organization where he is chairman. Gregg said before his visit, “I’m very happy to be back in Pyongyang, my first time in about eight years. So we’re looking forward to having talks.”

A member of the delegation, former US diplomat concerned with North Korea Lynn Turk said that the group was visiting North Korea at the invitation of North Korea’s Foreign Ministry. He also said that the purpose of the visit is to “build bridges” between the North and the US. Gregg declined to discuss whether he would consult with North Korean officials regarding the release of Bae.

Former US congressman Pete McCloskey and Pacific Century Institute founder Spencer Kim also joined the group. An expert who met Gregg right before his visit to North Korea said, “It is important to note that Pete McCloskey is part of the delegation. He is a Korean War veteran who served in US congress for 16 years. His reputation and leverage are much greater than Gregg’s in Washington.”

It is not known whether Gregg’s visit to North Korea was arranged with the Obama administration. Given that the US government officially announced the cancellation of Robert King’s visit to North Korea on Feb. 9, it is unlikely that the delegation was dispatched as an envoy by the Obama administration. But Gregg could have reported to and consulted with the US State Department about his visit and the Obama administration does not appear to have opposed it. Since both Gregg and McCloskey are influential figures in Washington, it is expected that they will have discussions with senior North Korean officials about how relations between Pyongyang and Washington can be improved beyond the release of Bae.

Meanwhile, Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Chung-rae, who met Gregg last month in Washington, held a press conference at the National Assembly where he said, “Gregg said that he received an invitation from the North and asked me whether he should visit or not. At that time, Gregg did not mention anything related to Kenneth Bae. It doesn’t seem like he is visiting to solve a particular issue. He was willing to contribute to the improvement of the North and South relations and peace on the Korean peninsula.”

Translated by Kim Hae-yoon, Hankyoreh English intern

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