Jang Dong-hyuk, the leader of the People Power Party, met with Deputy Ambassador James Heller on April 23 following his recent 8-day, 10-night visit to the U.S.
The People Power Party reported that Jang visited the U.S. Embassy in Seoul’s Jongno District that afternoon for the meeting with Deputy Ambassador Heller.
Jang was accompanied by lawmakers Kim Dae-sik and Jo Jeong-hoon, who had also traveled to the U.S. with him.
During the meeting, they reportedly discussed the outcomes of Jang’s visit and the future direction of the U.S.-South Korea alliance. The controversy surrounding Unification Minister Chung Dong-young’s comments about nuclear facilities was also mentioned.
In a related development, the People Power Party stated that it is unable to verify the identities of U.S. State Department officials whom Jang met during his visit.
The party confirmed in a statement that Jang did meet with State Department officials twice during his visit. However, they added that due to a strong request from the U.S. government, it is unable to confirm their identities.
They further explained that for the same reason, they cannot verify the identities of individuals in the photos.
Earlier, JTBC reported that, after inquiring with the State Department, they learned that the individual Jang claimed to have met on April 16 was Gavin Wax, the Chief of Staff for Public Diplomacy.
The People Power Party had previously delayed Jang’s return schedule, citing his meetings with State Department officials. They later revealed the fact of his meeting with a Deputy Secretary, along with a photo showing the back of the individual in question.