South Korea’s minister meets US envoy on resuming Washington-Pyongyang dialogue
Seoul, Nov 25 (LatestNewsX) — Chung Dong‑young, South Korea’s Unification Minister, stressed the need for tight US‑South Korean cooperation to restart talks between Washington and Pyongyang after his meeting with acting U.S. Ambassador Kevin Kim on Tuesday.
The unification ministry said Chung noted that a “window of opportunity” had opened following the Asia‑Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in late October and that the period before the planned US‑China talks in April would be particularly pivotal, Yonhap News Agency reported.
He added that Seoul will step up its role as a “pacemaker” to help arrange summit meetings between Pyongyang and Washington and explained ongoing efforts to restore inter‑Korean ties.
Chung and Kim pledged to keep close communication and cooperate throughout the process of achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula, the ministry said, based on a steadfast alliance.
Separately, an X post—formerly known as Twitter—from the U.S. Embassy in South Korea noted that Kim and Chung discussed shared priorities and emphasized the importance of robust US‑South Korean cooperation on key alliance issues.
The meeting came amid speculation that President Donald Trump’s April visit to China could pivot the resumption of dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.
On Nov 23, President Lee Jae‑Myung warned about the risks of accidental clashes with North Korea, urging Seoul to continue patient, steady efforts to resume talks with Pyongyang in order to reduce those risks.
Lee delivered this assessment at a press conference aboard his flight from Johannesburg to Ankara Sunday (local time) during his four‑nation trip to Africa and the Middle East.
“Inter‑Korean relations have turned extremely hostile and confrontational, and North Korea is engaging in very extreme actions without even the most basic level of trust,” Lee told reporters. “We are in a very dangerous situation where accidental clashes could break out at any time.”
He renewed his appeal for dialogue after Seoul proposed military talks to clarify the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), aimed at preventing unintended clashes near the border. The proposal followed repeated incidents in which North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the MDL while clearing land or laying mines in the buffer zone.
Lee noted that North Korea has been installing triple layers of barbed wire along the MDL, raising the risk of warning‑fire incidents amid disagreements over the precise border line.
“With all communication channels severed, even if an accidental clash occurs, there is no way to resolve it,” he said.
To ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula, Lee underscored the need to push for dialogue with Pyongyang even if it remains unresponsive.
While reaffirming that unification with North Korea is South Korea’s ultimate goal, Lee insisted it must be pursued from a long‑term perspective.
“We have no intention of pursuing unification by absorption,” he said, stressing that talks on unification should come only after dialogue resumes and peaceful coexistence is established.
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