Seoul: A U.S. official responsible for Korean Peninsula matters is currently in South Korea, diplomatic sources revealed. This marks the first known visit by a U.S. State Department official since the commencement of the second Donald Trump administration.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Kevin Kim, the deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs, reached Seoul earlier this week. He has met with key South Korean foreign ministry officials to deliberate on the bilateral alliance and North Korean issues. Sources familiar with the visit indicated that it is a working-level trip aimed at managing U.S.-South Korea relations and refining Trump's North Korea policy.

Kim, who is of Korean descent, previously served as an aide to U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty and was part of the State Department's office for the special representative for North Korea from 2018 to 2020 during Trump's first term. During that period, Kim collaborated with then U.S. Special Representative Stephen Biegun, contributing to U.S. diplomatic efforts toward North Korea.