
WASHINGTON: Stephen Biegun, US special representative for North Korea, will visit Japan and South Korea from Sunday to Thursday, the Department of State said Friday.
Biegun will hold talks with officials of the two Asian countries to "continue close allied coordination on North Korea," the department said.
The tour will come at a time when North Korea is taking a hardline stance ahead of its end-of-year deadline for nuclear negotiations with the United States.
Attention is focused on whether Biegun will have contact with the North Korean side during the trip.
The envoy will be accompanied by his deputy, Alex Wong, and National Security Council Senior Director for Asian Affairs Allison Hooker, according to the department.
The South Korean Foreign Ministry said Friday that Biegun will visit South Korea from Sunday to Tuesday. He is expected to visit Japan after that.
JIJI Press