US envoy for DPRK named as deputy secretary of state

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump nominated Stephen Biegun, US special representative for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), as deputy secretary of state, said the White House on Thursday.

Biegun will replace John Sullivan, who was appointed as ambassador to Russia earlier this month.

Biegun has led the working-level denuclearization talks with the DPRK since he took his current post in 2018.

The Korean Peninsular denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington have been locked in a stalemate since the second summit between top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi in late February ended without any agreement.

Biegun will keep his DPRK portfolio even if he is confirmed as deputy secretary of state, reported US media on Thursday, citing an anonymous senior State Department official.

Trump's nomination needs to be confirmed by the Senate.