S Korean nat’l security adviser visits US, to meet Bolton

Sayeed Muhammad: Prior to of an expected summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, South Korea’s national security adviser is in Washington to meet his US counterpart, John Bolton. The US National Security Council asked Chung Eui-yong to fly to the US to discuss matters related to the summit, a South Korean presidential official confirmed reporters yesterday. According to Reuters, the US had asked that the visit be kept quiet due to the issues to be addressed at meetings there. A senior administration official in Washington, too, confirmed the Chung’s visit and next meeting with Bolton. South Korea has been working closely with the US, to rein in North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, with an easing of tensions in recent months following North Korea and Trump issuing war threats. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Kim pledged to work for the “complete denuclearisation” of the Korean peninsula recently and afterwards, they also had a telephonic conversation.