South Korea’s ambassador to the United States reaffirmed Seoul’s willingness to help revive dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang, saying maintaining peace on the Korean Peninsula remains a key policy focus.
Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha made the remarks Tuesday at an event in Washington marking South Korea’s National Day and Armed Forces Day, amid renewed attention to the prospects for US-North Korea diplomacy as US President Donald Trump has expressed hopes of meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un within the year.
“We closely follow President Trump’s recent messages, demonstrating his commitment to peace on the Korean Peninsula and his willingness to resume US-North Korea dialogue,” Kang said. She added that Seoul remains in close coordination with Washington over its approach toward North Korea.
“As a party directly concerned, the Republic of Korea government will actively take the role of a pacemaker and seek to create conditions that allow for constructive discussions toward building confidence and resuming dialogue between the United States and North Korea,” she said.
Kang said Seoul would also work to create conditions for any future US-North Korea talks to expand into broader engagement among relevant countries. Longer-term goals include formally ending the 1950-53 Korean War, establishing a peace regime and achieving the “complete” denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
