The United States says it will continue its diplomatic efforts to denuclearize North Korea,... despite news that its pointman on the regime is retiring. <br />This comes amid heightened hopes for U.S.-North Korea talks following South Korea's successful hosting of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.<br />Park Soyun reports. <br /> The announcement came just as signs were emerging that Pyongyang may be willing to talk to Washington.<br />The U.S. special representative for North Korea policy Joseph Yun says he will step down from his post at the end of this week. <br />He said the decision was entirely his own,... but the timing comes at a surprising juncture,... as South Korea recently relayed that North Korea is open to direct discussions with the United States. <br />U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sought to dissuade him, but reluctantly accepted Yun's resignation "with regret." <br /> Yun, like Tillerson, is an advocate of engaging in dialogue with Pyongyang --- a tricky position to take amid the Trump's administration's policy of applying maximum pressure over engagement.<br /> Joseph Yun's diplomatic career spans more than three decades, serving as Ambassador to Malaysia from 2013 to 2016 under then-President Barack Obama. <br />Yun played a key role in tackling North Korea's nuclear issues as the U.S. special representative for North Korea, appointed by the Obama Administration in October 2016.<br />He also played an instrumental role in releasing Otto Warmbier, an American student detained in North Korea for more than a year.<br />Yun's authority to negotiate with North Korea appeared to be undermined by a tug-of-war between the White House and the State Department over the direction of North Korea policy under the Trump administration.<br />However, Yun told the Washington Post that his retirement was not a decision based on policy differences with President Trump or his inner circle.<br /> He added that he's 'very hopeful' about the prospect of talks resolving the standoff over North Korea's nuclear program.<br />Nevertheless,... his departure will leave the Trump administration without an envoy for engaging North Korea or an ambassador in Seoul, a spot that has been vacant for a year.<br />Park Soyun, Arirang News. <br />
