Top U.S. Point Person on North Korea to Retire

SEOUL—Joseph Yun, the top U.S. diplomat on North Korea issues, said Tuesday that he plans to retire this week, dealing a blow to Washington’s efforts at outreach to Pyongyang as the regime signals its interest in dialogue with the U.S.

Mr. Yun confirmed the news, reported earlier by CNN, in an email. But Mr. Yun, who was born in South Korea and is in his early 60s, didn’t respond to a request for comment on the reasons for his decision.