Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has named a special envoy to North Korea, and it isn’t Gov. Bill Richardson.
Last month, U.S.-run Radio Free Asia reported that the Obama administration was considering making Richardson a special envoy assigned to deal with the issue of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. The report said former U.S. Ambassador to Korea Stephen Bosworth was also under consideration for the job.
A Richardson spokesman said at the time that the report was false. Pahl Shipley said Richardson was “not interested” in the job and had not “discussed it with anyone.”
Ultimately, it was Bosworth who Clinton tapped for the position earlier today, The Associated Press is reporting. Bosworth, according to the article, will be tasked with working with South Korea, Japan, China and others “to look at ways to get Pyongyang back to the negotiating table and deal with broader policy,” and will also “deal with North Korean human rights and humanitarian issues.”
Richardson, who has a long and good relationship with the North Korean government, had his commerce secretary nomination derailed last month by a federal grand jury investigation into allegations of pay to play in the Richardson administration.
That investigation is ongoing.