BACK CHANNEL DIPLOMACY

JOSEPH YUN

The United States Special Representative for North Korea Policy was born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1954. A career diplomat, prior to his current appointment in October 2016, he was the U.S. ambassador to Malaysia.

PAK SONG IL

Pak was named deputy chief at North Korea’s mission to the United Nations in December, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency. He had been deputy director of the Foreign Ministry’s American affairs bureau, according to Yonhap. The news agency quotes the Voice of America as saying that Pak had earlier been involved in sports and cultural exchanges between North Korea and the U.S.