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Lee Do-hoon, South Korea’s special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, talks to reporters upon his arrival at Incheon International Airport from Washington, DC, on June 20. (Yonhap News)

Lee Do-hoon, South Korea’s special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, returned home on June 20 from a trip to Washington, DC. Lee had traveled to the US on June 17 to discuss ways to achieve a thaw in inter-Korean relations, which have deteriorated amid a series of belligerent statements by North Korea and the North’s demolition of the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office in Kaesong. Lee declined to respond to reporters’ questions about what had happened in his deliberations with the US.

When reporters asked Lee at Dulles International Airport, near Washington, D.C., whether South Korea is communicating with the US and Japan, Lee would only say that they’re “always in communication” and refused to answer any other questions. Upon his arrival at Incheon International Airport on June 20, Lee was asked other questions about easing sanctions on North Korea, a possibility that has attracted major attention, and about how to improve the operations of the South Korea-US Working Group, which some see as an American instrument for interfering in inter-Korean relations. But once again, Lee stayed mum.

The Blue House and South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party blame the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) for the crisis in inter-Korean relations and are pushing it to find a breakthrough. Feeling the pinch, MOFA announced that Lee would be meeting with US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun during Lee’s first visit to the US in five months, since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, but didn’t provide any details about the schedule or agenda. Lee’s meeting with Biegun on June 18 was reportedly held somewhere other than the US State Department, in order to avoid disclosing Lee’s movements. Neither South Korea nor the US have released any documents related to the meeting.

With the presidential election coming up in November, Trump isn’t in a position to pay much attention to the stalled North Korea-US nuclear talks, especially since he has been taking a drubbing because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Given this situation, Lee and Biegun’s meeting wasn’t likely to bring about a marked change in the US’ current refusal to ease sanctions until the North has denuclearized. The two officials likely shared their countries’ impressions of recent developments and swapped in-depth opinions about what action to take in the future.

The US government didn’t provide any additional information, only reiterating its basic stance. US Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell said that “North Korea would understand the importance and the need to get back to the table and discuss their nuclear program” during a press briefing on June 18 about a meeting between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Chinese state Councilor Yang Jiechi in Hawaii. Stilwell didn’t make any other notable remarks on that topic.

By Hwang Joon-bum, Washington correspondent, and Gil Yun-hyung, staff reporter

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]