The Chosun Ilbo today has an article up that is pretty critical of failed North Korea nuclear negotiator Christopher Hill:

The only thing U.S. special envoy on North Korea Stephen Bosworth and Washington’s former North Korea point man Christopher Hill have in common “is that they like sundubu jjigae (spicy soft tofu stew),” a diplomat said half in jest after Bosworth visited South Korea on May 8-11.

The different styles of the two negotiators on North Korean nuclear policy are evident. A South Korean government official said, “They differ from each other very conspicuously in every respect, in addition to the outward difference that Hill was in permanent post at the State Department while Bosworth is in a part-time position” concurrently working as dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University.

According to officials, Bosworth gives priority to listening to what other countries’ nuclear envoys say over setting forth his own opinions. During his latest visit to South Korea, he did not present any particular ideas.

By contrast, Hill liked to present his own ideas and aggressively tried to sell them to envoys from other countries. The idea of North Korea’s showy blow-up of the cooling tower at the Yongbyon nuclear facility last year was conceived by Hill. He suggested various ideas even when the six-party talks were in a deadlock due to differences over the North’s alleged uranium enrichment program. Another South Korean government official said, “Hill’s ideas sometimes helped find a breakthrough in a creative way, but many of them turned out to be somewhat reckless and irrational.”  [Chosun Ilbo]

Read the rest, but just think Christopher Hill is now our top diplomat in Baghdad.