US envoy Biegun to visit Seoul as Pyongyang’s deadline looms for N. Korea talks

The US special envoy for North Korea will arrive in Seoul on Sunday ahead of a year-end deadline set by Pyongyang for Washington to soften its approach to stalled denuclearization talks.

Stephen Biegun will be in Seoul for a three-day stay and hold consultations with his counterpart Lee Do-hoon and other officials, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday. The two sides will discuss ways to bring substantial progress on achieving a complete denuclearization on the Korean peninsula, according to the statement.

Biegun’s trip sparked speculation he might try to salvage negotiations by reaching out to North Korea, or by publicly sending a message, Reuters reports.

North Korea has vowed to take an unspecified “new path” if the US fails to address its demands before the end of the year.