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US Places Diplomat in N. Korea

First Pyongyang official lays groundwork for permanent presence

By Peter Fearon,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 26, 2007 10:05 AM CST
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(Newser) – Washington has had a "permanent" diplomat stationed in Pyongyang since mid-month, a source tells the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, marking the first time a US official has been assigned full-time to North Korea. The move is seen as a precursor to possible normalization of relations between the US and North Korea.

The diplomat, who is using the Koryo Hotel as a de facto office, "is mainly carrying out administrative liaison efforts between the US and North Korea," a Washington source told the newspaper. A second senior diplomat is expected to be assigned to North Korea should Pyongyang make good on its promises to disable its main nuclear facilities by year's end.

North Korean workers and students perform at North Korea's biggest propaganda spectacle, called the Arirang, at the May Day stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2007. Washington has stationed a diplomat in the North Korean capital for the first time. (AP Photo/Korea Pool via Yonhap)
North Korean workers and students perform at North Korea's biggest propaganda spectacle, called the Arirang, at the May Day stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2007. Washington has stationed...   (Associated Press)
North Korea's Prime Minister Kim Yong Il, center, arrives at the Gimpo Airport in Seoul Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2007. Washington has stationed a diplomat in the North Korean capital for the first time. AP Photo/Jung Yeon-je, POOL)
North Korea's Prime Minister Kim Yong Il, center, arrives at the Gimpo Airport in Seoul Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2007. Washington has stationed a diplomat in the North Korean capital for the first time. AP...   (Associated Press)
Bowing North Korean residents are dwarfed by a giant statue of Kim Il Sung, the late founder of North Korea and father of current leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang, North Korea, Monday, Oct. 1, 2007. Washington has stationed a diplomat in the North Korean capital for the first time....
Bowing North Korean residents are dwarfed by a giant statue of Kim Il Sung, the late founder of North Korea and father of current leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang, North Korea, Monday, Oct. 1, 2007. Washington...   (Associated Press)
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