US envoy on DPRK to visit ROK, China, Japan

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is sending its special representative on Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) policy to the Republic of Korea (ROK), China and Japan next week, the State Department said Thursday.

In his one-week visit to the three Asian countries starting Sunday, Glyn Davies will meet with senior government officials including his counterparts in the three governments, the department said in a statement.

The visit comes after tensions have cooled down on the Korean Peninsula in recent weeks. Tensions used to build up as the DPRK scrapped a 1953 Korean War armistice and threatened nuclear strikes on the US and the ROK in response to a UN Security Council resolution condemning its third nuclear test and the military drills between Washington and Seoul.