Unification Minister Lee In-young speaks during a press conference at the South-North Dialogue Secretariat building in Seoul on Thursday. (Yonhap)
South Korea’s unification minister Lee In-young on April 29 stressed the importance of the upcoming South Korea-US summit, pinning hopes on the meeting as a chance to revive the stalled Korean Peninsula peace process.
“I believe the first half of this year, with the US’ policy review on North Korea expected to be completed and uncertainty being cleared up, will be a golden opportunity and the most optimal time for the South, the North and the US to move together toward the Korean Peninsula peace process,” Lee told reporters during a press conference in Seoul. “On that note, the Korea-US summit planned for next month [May] is very important.”
He expressed hope that the summit would serve as an important chance to accelerate the resumption of the peace process on the peninsula, based on strategic coordination between Seoul and Washington on dealing with Pyongyang.
President Moon Jae-in and his US counterpart Joe Biden are set to meet in Washington late this month for their first face-to-face talks since Biden’s inauguration. With Washington expected to complete its months-long policy review on North Korea in the weeks ahead, North Korea is likely to be high on the agenda.
Moon, who is approaching the final year of his five-year term, has expressed hopes that the upcoming summit might serve as a turning point for inter-Korean relations and nuclear diplomacy with the reclusive regime. The two sides have been deadlocked since the collapse of the Hanoi summit in February 2019.
Despite the recent build-up of cross-border tensions, Lee believes Pyongyang is still “exploring chances for talks” with Washington and Seoul, noting that Pyongyang has not carried out a major provocation and has taken a measured approach toward criticism of Seoul. “North Korea will likely be watching the US policy on the North and particularly the outcome of next month’s Korea-US summit and weigh its next external actions, also considering the Covid-19 situation,” he said.
The minister reiterated his calls for Pyongyang to reengage with Seoul, adding that the government was open to talks with North Korea “anytime, anywhere and on anything”.
In the meantime, Lee stressed that the South Korean government will do what it can, starting with humanitarian cooperation projects, such as public health projects dealing with Covid-19, as well as providing rice and fertiliser to Pyongyang.
Noting that Seoul can’t just wait around for Washington and Pyongyang to restart the stalled denuclearisation talks, Lee believes invigorated cooperation in humanitarian areas between the two Koreas could help create a favourable atmosphere for talks on denuclearisation, establishment of peace and economic cooperation going forward.
THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
