Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, postponed his return to meet a U.S. State Department official identified as Gavin Wax, who serves as chief of staff to the department’s Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy. Jang’s team initially described the meeting as with a “State Department deputy assistant secretary” but did not identify the official beyond a photo taken from behind. On April 23, JTBC sent an emailed inquiry to the U.S. State Department asking who Jang had met in Washington on the 16th (local time). The department replied that, at the request of the Korean delegation, Jang and the People Power Party delegation met with Gavin Wax, Chief of Staff to the Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy. The response said the meeting included discussion of the State Department’s public diplomacy efforts, emphasizing an “America First” orientation.
JTBC reported that Wax is a politician in his 30s who, before joining the State Department, served as president of the New York Young Republican Club. That organization is regarded as one of the far-right groups within former President Donald Trump’s core support base.
Earlier, on the 17th, Jang was completing airport departure procedures to return to Korea when he was contacted by the State Department. He abruptly extended his itinerary and remained in the United States for an extended eight-night, ten-day visit.
News that Jang turned back at the airport to meet a State Department official triggered intense domestic interest in the identity of the person he met. Jang’s team, however, released only a rear-view photo of the official and did not disclose his name or other details.
