US envoy to visit Seoul next week to discuss stalled nuclear talks with N Korea – report

US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun is expected to visit South Korea next week as it pushes for a resumption of talks with Pyongyang ahead of the US election, Reuters reported.

The envoy, who led working-level negotiations with the North Koreans, will be among several State Department officials holding talks with South Korean counterparts on Tuesday, a government official was quoted as saying.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has said US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un should meet again before the US election in November. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that Seoul is pushing for a resumption of US-North Korea talks.

Biegun has said there is time for both sides to re-engage and “make substantial progress,” but the coronavirus pandemic would make an in-person summit difficult before the November election.