People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok meets acting U.S. ambassador in Seoul

Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of South Korea’s People Power Party, met with James Heller, the acting U.S. ambassador in Seoul, to discuss the results of Jang’s recent trip to the United States and ways to strengthen the South Korea-U.S. alliance, political sources said.

According to the sources, Jang held the meeting Thursday afternoon at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul.

He also raised controversy over remarks by Unification Minister Jeong Dong-young about North Korean nuclear facilities, the sources said. Lawmakers Kim Dae-sik and Cho Jung-hoon, who traveled to the United States with Jang, attended the meeting as well.

Separately, Kim posted on Facebook on Thursday to push back against criticism of Jang’s U.S. trip.

Listing meetings Jang held with U.S. think tanks, members of the U.S. Senate and House, and key Republican Party figures, Kim wrote, “The delegation also took seriously the parts that did not meet the public’s expectations and has repeatedly apologized.” Referring to a photo of Jang and Supreme Council member Kim Min-su that drew criticism, he added that he hoped it would not “overshadow the nonstop meetings carried out for the national interest.”