The US State Department says its special envoy for the DPRK Joseph Yun will retire on Friday. The news came hours after President Donald Trump again rejected talks with the DPRK unless conditions are met.

South Korean-born Joseph Yun has been pursuing direct diplomacy since taking his post in 2016 under former President Barack Obama. A senior South Korean official said Yun had "run out of steam" amid tension between the hardline White House, and the State Department that supported Seoul's efforts to re-engage Pyongyang. The State Department said Tillerson had reluctantly accepted his decision, but claimed the policy will not change.