The US special envoy for North Korea has announced he plans to retire just hours after President Trump again rejected talks to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis unless conditions are met.
South Korean-born Joseph Yun, a strong advocate for engagement with Pyongyang, has led American outreach to North Korea, quietly pursuing direct diplomacy, since taking his post under former President Obama in 2016.
His departure on Friday leaves the State Department without a point person for North Korea policy at a time Pyongyang has signalled it may be willing to talk to the US after a period of diplomatic contacts with South Korea during the Winter Olympics.
The special envoy's authority to engage with North Korea appeared to be undercut by a tug-of-war between the White House and State Department over North Korea policy under Mr Trump.
While his tenure was praised publicly by the State Department, one senior administration official said Mr Yun would not be missed because he contradicted Mr Trump's policies, while at a daily press briefing White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders brushed off questions about the impact of the outgoing envoy's departure.
Mr Yun, a 32-year foreign service veteran, told US media his retirement was a personal decision and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had tried to persuade him to stay.
Some East Asia analysts have called Mr Yun's departure a big blow to attempts to use diplomacy to resolve the crisis over North Korea's development of nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States, which has raised fears of war.
On Friday, Washington announced its largest package of sanctions yet on North Korea.
Mr Trump warned of a "phase two" that could be "very, very unfortunate for the world" if the steps did not work, an apparent reference to military options his administration says remain on the table.
In another reference to the risk of war, Mr Trump said on Monday: "We're talking about tremendous potential loss of lives, numbers that nobody's even contemplated, never thought of."
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