Senior U.S. diplomat to visit Korea for first time since Lee's inauguration, sources say

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Senior U.S. diplomat to visit Korea for first time since Lee's inauguration, sources say

This photo from the State Department's website shows Senior Bureau Official Sean O'Neill in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. [YONHAP]

This photo from the State Department's website shows Senior Bureau Official Sean O'Neill in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. [YONHAP]

 
A senior diplomat from U.S. President Donald Trump's administration plans to visit Korea as early as Friday for the first time since President Lee Jae-myung's administration was launched last week, multiple sources said.
 
Senior Bureau Official Sean O'Neill of the State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs will visit Seoul to meet  Korean officials, according to the sources who requested anonymity.
 

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O'Neill has led the bureau as Michael DeSombre, Trump's nominee for assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, undergoes Senate confirmation procedures.
 
In Seoul, the senior official is expected to have talks with  Korean officials over joint efforts to strengthen the bilateral alliance and policy coordination on North Korea.
 
He could also touch on the Trump administration's call for allies to increase defense "burden-sharing" amid speculation that Trump could demand a rise in Seoul's share of the cost for stationing the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea.
 
His visit comes as expectations have arisen that Lee could have his first encounter with Trump on the sidelines of the Group of 7 summit set to take place in Alberta, Canada, from Sunday through Tuesday.
 
O'Neill is said to fly to Korea after attending the Senior Officials' Meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Regional Forum in Malaysia on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Yonhap
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