Special Envoy

[Anchor Lead]

Presidential Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok has been dispatched to the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon as a special envoy of the president. It’s an unprecedented trip that leads some to believe that he may meet with North Korean officials.

[Pkg]

The presidential office said that Presidential Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok had been dispatched to the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon as President Moon Jae-in's special envoy. During his four-day trip, which began on December 9, Im is to visit South Korean military units stationed in the two countries to encourage Korean servicepeople. He will also pay visits to the crown prince of UAE's Abu Dhabi and the Lebanese president.

[Soundbite] Park Soo-hyun (Cheong Wa Dae Spokesperson) : "The purpose of the visit is to check peacekeeping efforts and the protection of Korean expatriates in the Middle East on behalf of President Moon Jae-in, as well as to encourage South Korean service people stationed there."

But some speculate that during his trip Im may meet with North Korean officials given that it's quite unprecedented for a presidential chief of staff to travel overseas and that Cheong Wa Dae disclosed Im's trip one day after his departure. The speculation is based on past instances of presidential aides meeting secretly with North Korean officials in a third country during the Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun and Lee Myung-bak administrations. Moreover, the fact that Defense Minister Song Young-moo had visited the South Korean Akh and Dongmyung units just one month ago adds more weight to the speculation. However, Cheong Wa Dae denied that it is concealing anything about Im's trip such as a meeting with North Korean officials.