Biden, South’s Moon vow unity on N Korea as US names new envoy

Bloomberg

President Joe Biden said he would appoint a special envoy to address issues regarding North Korea and vowed to coordinate policy towards Pyongyang closely with South Korea’s government.
Following meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Washington, Biden said he’s appointing Ambassador Sung Kim to be the special envoy and that the US and South Korea are willing to take “pragmatic steps” to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
“We are both deeply concerned about the situation” on the peninsula, Biden said at the start of a press conference, adding that “total denuclearisation is our objective.”
Moon praised the appointment of Sung Kim, a career diplomat, and said he hoped for a positive response from North Korea’s government over the shared commitment to diplomatic outreach. Sung Kim has been serving as American ambassador to Indonesia after previously serving as chief American envoy to the Philippines and South Korea.
Moon added that he doesn’t see any differences in how his government and the US view the North Korea situation, a point Biden quickly seconded in saying that their shared goal remains the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.
Moon has been eager during the final year of his presidency to revive peace negotiations with North Korea, his signature diplomatic effort. Yet that effort stalled after a series of failed summits between former President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Early in Trump’s term, he had said he’d be willing to meet the North Korean leader, and did so several times. Biden has shown no inclination for a meeting.
During the talks at the White House, Biden said that the US would provide full coronavirus vaccinations for 550,000 South Korean service members who work in close contact with American forces.
South Korea has been eager to secure supplies of vaccines that the US has recently allowed to be exported.
Biden said he and Moon had discussed the possibility of a US vaccine producer partnering with South Korea, which “with the help of that particular company will be able to make significant numbers of vaccines for themselves.”
Biden and Moon also agreed to work together on easing a shortage of semiconductors that has hampered production of automobiles and electronics.