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Ex-envoy: "State Department had no voice"over North Korea
The Asahi Simbun
Ex-envoy: "State Department had no voice"over North Korea
By KOJI SONODA/ Correspondent
August 31, 2018 at 19:00 JST
WASHINGTON--Joseph Yun, the U.S. diplomat formerly in charge of negotiations with North Korea, resigned in March because the Trump administration was totally ignoring the U.S. State Department, he revealed in an interview with The Asahi Shimbun.
Speaking on Aug. 29, Yun described the deep rift between then-U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who emphasized dialogue with Pyongyang, and others in the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump who advocated a more hard-line stance.
“Tillerson was having a huge fight with the White House and we had no voice in the State Department,” Yun said. “I felt I was wasting my time. That’s the main reason I retired.”
Despite that, Yun gave a positive appraisal of the historic June meeting in Singapore between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying it alleviated tensions between the two nations who at one time last year seemed on the brink of a military encounter.
Speaking on Aug. 29, Yun described the deep rift between then-U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who emphasized dialogue with Pyongyang, and others in the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump who advocated a more hard-line stance.
“Tillerson was having a huge fight with the White House and we had no voice in the State Department,” Yun said. “I felt I was wasting my time. That’s the main reason I retired.”
Despite that, Yun gave a positive appraisal of the historic June meeting in Singapore between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying it alleviated tensions between the two nations who at one time last year seemed on the brink of a military encounter.
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http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201808310049.html
