US President-elect Donald Trump has picked an aide, who was involved in planning summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his first term, as a senior White House official, his transition team said Saturday.
The team issued a statement on the incoming president's decision to appoint William Beau Harrison as an assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for operations, noting that Harrison played a "critical" role in the planning of in-person meetings with the North Korean leader.
The decision came amid expectations that Trump might seek to revive his personal diplomacy with Kim after taking office on Jan. 20. During his election campaign, Trump repeatedly boasted about his ties with Kim, saying he "got along very well" with the reclusive leader.
"During President Trump's first term, Mr. Harrison served as the liaison between the operational elements of the Executive Office of the President and was charged with the coordination and execution of all presidential travel, including dozens of complex international visits," the team said.
"He has participated in and led multiple US delegations across the globe in countries such as North Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan and played a critical role in planning each of the historic summits with DPRK leader Kim Jong-un," the team added. DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Last month, Trump named former Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell as his presidential envoy for special missions that he said covers "some of the hottest spots" around the world, including North Korea.
Trump has also named Alex Wong, who was engaged in working-level nuclear talks with Pyongyang during his first term, as his principal deputy national security adviser.
Some observers said his selection of Grenell and Wong bodes well for the resumption of US diplomacy toward Pyongyang, though skepticism lingers over whether Pyongyang would accede to any diplomatic feelers from Washington given its deepening partnership with Moscow.
In December, North Korea declared its "toughest" counteraction strategy toward the United States during a key meeting of the ruling Workers' Party, presided over by Kim.
While in office, Trump had three in-person meetings with the North Korean leader, including the first summit in Singapore in 2018. Since the no-deal summit in Hanoi in 2019, meaningful nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have been stalled. (Yonhap)
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