LEE DO HOON VISITS U.S. AMID RISING TENSIONS

[Anchor Lead]

Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Lee Do-hoon has visited the United States amid the rising tension on the Korean Peninsula. Some speculate that Lee is acting as a special envoy of the South Korean government. He is expected to meet with Washington's key national security officials.

[Pkg]

About 32 hours after North Korea blew up the inter-Korean liaison office, Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Lee Do-hoon arrived at Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. His visit was unplanned. The special representative is visiting Washington five months after his previous trip back in January. He made no comments upon his arrival.

[Soundbite] LEE DO-HOON(SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR KOREAN PENINSULA PEACE AND SECURITY AFFAIRS) : "I can't talk now."

Lee declined to comment on who he is going to meet and how long he plans to stay in the U.S.

[Soundbite] LEE DO-HOON(SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR KOREAN PENINSULA PEACE AND SECURITY AFFAIRS) : "I'm sorry."

Lee's surprise trip comes just one day after the discussion of the dispatch of a special envoy to the U.S. at a National Security Council meeting. Observers speculate that he might be acting as a special envoy. With Lee's visit, Seoul and Washington will likely begin their discussion of North Korea's provocations in earnest. Although Lee did not say who he was going to meet in Washington, he is highly likely to hold talks with U.S. national security adviser Robert O'Brien and Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun. Their meetings are expected to take place behind closed doors given the seriousness and urgency of the situation. Pyongyang recently said it had rejected Seoul's offer to dispatch its special envoys. South Korea and the U.S. have had few high-level talks in the past three months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States is still struggling with the soaring numbers of COVID-19 cases. Nonetheless Special Representative Lee Do-hoon has visited Washington all of a sudden 32 hours after the explosion of the inter-Korean liaison office. His trip demonstrates how serious the situation is on the Korean Peninsula.