The US Department of State has confirmed that Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, chair of South Korea’s main opposition People Power Party, met its undersecretary’s chief of staff, according to news reports.
The revelation came amid growing doubts over Jang’s 10-day US trip, as the trip drew criticism from both sides of the aisle for being ill-timed.
According to a news report from JTBC on Thursday, an unnamed State Department spokesperson confirmed via email inquiry that Jang and his delegation were introduced to Gavin Wax, chief of staff to Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers.
The emailed response also indicated that the meeting “underscored (the US’) commitment to meet with a range of interlocutors to effectively advance and represent US interests.” Wax also highlighted “public diplomacy efforts in the America First State Department.”
But JTBC’s report left open the possibility that Jang might have met with other figures in the US Department of State.
The media report came a few days after Jang declined to reveal the identity of his US counterpart in a meeting during his visit to the US Department of State, citing confidentiality of the matter under diplomatic protocol, in a press conference to talk about achievements from his US trip on Monday.
The People Power Party did not reveal the identity of Jang’s counterpart in the meeting, though Jang rescheduling his flight and delaying his return to Seoul because the US State Department had accepted his request for a meeting drew keen public attention.
Following news reports, Jang again declined to confirm Friday that he had met with Wax, citing that the State Department had requested Jang keep under wraps the identities of the two US State Department officials he met.
consnow@heraldcorp.com
