The U.S. special envoy to North Korea, Stephen Biegun, will join Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the Thai capital for meetings on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum this week, in a move that could signal possible talks with the nuclear-armed country.
"U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun will accompany the Secretary to Bangkok for meetings on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum," a State Department spokesperson told The Japan Times.
The news comes after a Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman said last week that a representative of North Korea will be present in Bangkok. It was unclear if Pyongyang would be sending its top diplomat, though Kyodo News reported Tuesday that North Korea's ambassador to Thailand will attend the ARF on Friday in place of Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, who recently decided to skip the meeting.