U.S. official on East Asia to visit Seoul next week

SEOUL, July 11 (Yonhap) -- A top U.S. official on East Asia and the Pacific will
visit South Korea next week to discuss North Korean issues such as its recent
nuclear test and sanctions against the communist state, a diplomatic source here
said Saturday.

Curt Campbell, newly appointed as U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asia
and the Pacific, will make a stop in Seoul from July 18-20 during his
three-nation Asian trip, according to the source.
"Campbell's trip is aimed at holding consultations with relevant nations and
paying introductory visits to the top officials of each country." an official
from Seoul's foreign ministry said.
The official said Campbell will meet with high-ranking officials here, including
Wi Sung-lac -- South Korea's envoy to the six-party talks on denuclearizing North
Korea -- to discuss the Seoul-Washington alliance and how to implement United
Nations sanctions against the North.
The U.N. Security Council adopted Resolution 1874 in June this year after North
Korea conducted its second nuclear test in late May, banning Pyongyang from all
atomic and ballistic missile activity and greatly restricting its weapons trade.
The U.S. diplomat will also meet with South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan
and Kim Sung-hwan, top security adviser to President Lee Myung-bak, the source
said.
Campbell, a well-known expert on Asian affairs, replaced Christopher Hill, who
has become Washington's ambassador to Iraq, and is expected to broaden his focus
to include U.S. relations with countries throughout the region.
He will visit Tokyo before flying to Seoul. After his stop here, Campbell will
head to Thailand to attend the ASEAN Regional Forum scheduled to be held in
Phuket between July 22 and 23.
As Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Da Wei visited Washington recently, Campbell
decided not to include Beijing in his first Asia trip, according to the
diplomatic source.
brk@yna.co.kr
(END)