Senior U.S. intelligence official in S. Korea for discussions on Pyongyang By Lee Chi-dong

SEOUL, May 12 (Yonhap) -- A senior U.S. intelligence official is on a secret trip to South Korea to gather information on North Korea and related geopolitical issues, an informed source said Tuesday.

Joseph DeTrani, the mission manager for North Korea for the White House Office of
the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), arrived here last weekend for a
weeklong stay, according to the source.
"He is meeting South Korean officials at Cheong Wa Dae (the presidential office),
the foreign ministry, and the National Intelligence Service to exchange
intelligence on North Korea," the source said.
The U.S. Embassy in Seoul refused to confirm his trip, saying it is not customary
to release information on any unannounced trip by U.S. officials.
DeTrani, formerly U.S. special envoy on the six-way talks on the North Korean
nuclear program, is "responsible for integrating collection and analysis on North
Korea across the intelligence community, and planning and ensuring the
implementation of related strategies," according to the DNI.
The source said, meanwhile, an increasing number of U.S. and Chinese intelligence
officials are visiting South Korea to collect information on North Korea since
reports that the communist nation's leader Kim Jong-il is sick.
South Korean intelligence authorities said Kim suffered a stroke last year but he
has recovered his health enough to stay in control of the reclusive country. But
North Korea watchers here are paying keen attention to the post-Kim era.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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