Seoul: Direct talks between Washington and Pyongyang are the first step toward halting North Korea's nuclear weapons program, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Thursday. He made the remarks while meeting with reporters at the government complex in Seoul, amid speculation that U.S. President Donald Trump might seek to rekindle his personal diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, which produced three bilateral meetings during his first term.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Chung emphasized the importance of dialogue, stating, "The first gateway to stopping North Korea's nuclear program is a meeting between the two sides, and we should work hard to support it." He added that halting the program serves the best interest of everyone involved. President Trump reiterated on Wednesday (U.S. time) that he maintains good relations with Kim and plans to meet the North Korean leader later this year, though he did not provide further details.
Chung further remarked, "Now is the time for the U.S. and North Korea, and time for Trump and Kim," expressing hope that the momentum between the two sides will get on track and expand into a framework that eventually includes South Korea and China as well. He also commented on recent statements by Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un's sister, who appeared to dismiss Trump's dialogue overture. She called the reduction in South Korea-U.S. military exercises "unworthy of comment," yet noted that her brother holds good memories and feelings about Trump personally. This suggests a separation between Kim's personal rapport with Trump and North Korea's broader view of U.S. policy as hostile, leaving room for future engagement.
In response to these developments, the ministry stated that the top priority is formally ending the war and establishing a peace regime, so the two sides do not have to fight each other. The 1950-1953 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. In his Liberation Day address Saturday, President Lee Jae Myung proposed that the two Koreas begin talks on ending their long-running war and build a peace regime on the peninsula.