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Trump-Kim summit 2019: who are the key aides and advisers on the ground in Hanoi?
- Stephen Biegun has struck a more conciliatory tone with the North than more hawkish figures in the administration
- On the North Korean side, Kim Hyok-chol served as ambassador to Spain until he was expelled in 2017
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During their second summit, Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un will each be supported by a hand-picked team of trusted advisers and negotiators.
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Although the two leaders will ultimately decide the outcome in Hanoi, these are some of the key figures who have helped shape the agenda for their high-stakes talks on denuclearisation.
Stephen Biegun
Since his appointment as US special representative for North Korea in August, Biegun has been the main driver of pre-summit negotiations on the US side, taking over from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. In recent months, Biegun, a former foreign policy aide to George W. Bush, has embarked on a whirlwind diplomatic tour aimed at narrowing the differences between the sides, jetting between North and South Korea, Sweden and Vietnam.
The former Ford executive was the first senior administration official to arrive Hanoi ahead of the summit, landing a week before Trump to iron out final details.
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Lori Esposito Murray, a Council on Foreign Relations fellow who worked with Biegun on Capitol Hill, described the 55-year-old as “smart, strategic, with broad and deep experience in policy and negotiations” and an “excellent choice” for his role.
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