Seoul, Nov 25 South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young underscored the importance of close South Korea-US cooperation in resuming dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang in his meeting with acting US Ambassador to South Korea Kevin Kim on Tuesday.
According to the unification ministry, Chung noted that a "window of opportunity" has opened for such a resumption following summits held on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in late October and said the period leading up to planned US-China talks in April will be an important one, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The unification minister added South Korea will strengthen efforts to play its role as a "pacemaker" to help set up summit talks between Pyongyang and Washington and explained ongoing efforts by Seoul to restore inter-Korean ties.
Chung and Kim agreed to closely communicate and cooperate in the process of establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula based on a steadfast alliance, the ministry said.
In a separate post on X, formerly Twitter, the US Embassy in South Korea said Kim and Chung discussed shared priorities and underscored the importance of strong US-South Korea cooperation on key alliance issues.
Tuesday's meeting came amid speculation that US President Donald Trump's visit to China in April may serve as a turning point in the resumption of dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.
On November 23, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has warned risks of accidental clashes with North Korea, saying Seoul must continue to make efforts with patience to resume dialogue with Pyongyang to reduce such risks.
Lee gave the assessment on inter-Korean relations at a press conference aboard his flight from Johannesburg to Ankara on Sunday (local time), as part of 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 call for dialogue after Seoul proposed military talks to clarify the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), aimed at preventing unintended clashes near the border. The proposal came amid repeated incidents of North Korean soldiers briefly crossing the MDL while clearing land or laying mines in the buffer zone.
Lee noted that the North has been installing triple layers of barbed wire along the MDL, raising the risk of warning-fire incidents amid differing views on 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 unification with North Korea is South Korea's ultimate goal, Lee said it must be approached from a long-term perspective.
“We have no intention of pursuing unification by absorption,” he said, emphasising that discussions on unification should come only after dialogue resumes and peaceful coexistence is established.
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