Korea Chair Monitor | Vol 3 Issue 15

The Korea Chair team takes a biweekly look back at events of interest in Washington, Seoul, and the region from July 16 - July 29, 2015.

U.S.-ROK RELATIONS | U.S. Special Envoy for Six-Party Talks Visits South Korea
On July 27, U.S. special envoy for Six-Party Talks Sydney Seiler visited South Korea and met with South Korean government officials to discuss the North Korean denuclearization issue. He said that the United States is willing to show flexibility in nuclear talks with North Korea, if resumed, as demonstrated in the recent Iran nuclear deal. He also participated in a U.S.-Korea-Japan trilateral session in Tokyo on July 28 with director general for North Korean nuclear affairs Kim Gunn and Japanese deputy director general for Asian and Oceanian affairs Shigeki Takizaki.

GLOBAL RELATIONS | South Korean Diplomat to Chair Key UN Body
On July 22, the ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Oh Joon, ROK’s ambassador to the United Nations, will assume the presidency of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for a one year term. He was elected on July 24. Oh became the first South Korean to head ECOSOC, which is one of the six major UN bodies.