Sung Kim begins work as special representative with call to Japanese counterpart

The new US special representative for North Korea, Sung Kim, spoke by phone with his Japanese counterpart and the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the State Department said Tuesday.

US President Joe Biden announced Kim's appointment last week after summit talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Kim, a career diplomat, has served as ambassador to South Korea, the Philippines and Indonesia as well as a special envoy for six-party talks on the North's nuclear program.

"Special Representative for the DPRK spoke with @MOFAJapan-en DG Funakoshi to reaffirm our shared commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and other important issues," the State Department said in a Twitter post.

Takehiro Funakoshi, director-general for Asian and Oceanian affairs, is Japan's top nuclear negotiator. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name.

Kim's appointment came amid a US outreach to Pyongyang to explain the outcome of its recently concluded review of North Korea policy, which it says will seek "calibrated, practical" steps to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

The job of special representative for the North had been vacant since Biden took office on Jan. 20.

Informed sources said Kim will also likely maintain his position as ambassador to Indonesia for the time being. (Yonhap)