Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps Top Trump Diplomat Tells All: fmr Deputy Secretary of State Inside the Room Where it Happens
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Mar 24, 2026 Stephen Biegun, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State who led U.S. talks with North Korea, shares behind-the-scenes tales. He recounts the surprise DMZ meeting, rapid crisis logistics, and leader-level diplomacy experiments. He reflects on negotiating with closed systems, interactions with Kim, and how U.S. strategy shaped responses to Putin, Ukraine, and Iran.
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Walking Into North Korea From The Woods
- Biegun describes the physical route into the DMZ: helicopter to a minivan, a zigzag path among oak trees, then stepping onto North Korean soil.
- He spent three hours negotiating at a DMZ building before the leaders met at 1 p.m. the next day.
You're Negotiating With The System
- Negotiating with North Korea means negotiating with a system where decisionmakers listen in and issue scripted instructions.
- Biegun saw delegates receive notes, leave for hours, then return either relieved or frazzled based on orders from above.
Agility Versus Rigid Instructions
- U.S. negotiators can be agile and test ideas in real time, while North Korean negotiators have rigid instructions with no room to improvise.
- That rigidity makes talks slow, reduces creative tradeoffs, and hinders incremental deals.