South Korea to brace for possible resumption of US-North Korea dialogue under Trump: FM Cho
South Korea will ensure it has plans in place to engage with the incoming US administration under President-elect Donald Trump, should stalled nuclear talks with North Korea resume, said Seoul’s top diplomat on Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul made these remarks in a press conference with foreign correspondents in Seoul, reaffirming South Korea’s readiness to respond firmly to any provocations by Pyongyang, based on its strong alliance with Washington, Yonhap news agency reported.
“We will prepare plans and roadmaps before the incoming US administration takes office, which will help us brace for the possibility of US negotiations with North Korea,” Cho said in his opening remarks.
“We will manage Korean Peninsula affairs in a stable manner, while remaining as ready as ever to respond firmly in the event of North Korea’s provocations,” he added.
During his first term, Trump met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un three times for nuclear negotiations, but the talks have remained deadlocked since their Hanoi summit broke down in early 2019.
In a recent interview with US magazine TIME, Trump boasted again that he gets along “very well” with Kim Jong-un, while claiming that he is the “only one” that Kim has ever dealt with.
The press conference, also joined by Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, came as South Korea seeks to ease concerns about delays and disruptions in state affairs following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment over his botched martial law imposition.
Yoon is suspended from duties, and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has taken over as acting president.
“We will do everything we can to bring normalcy back to our diplomacy and rebuild the trust of the international community,” Cho said. “We will ensure that our foreign policy and national security leave no room for error.”
Cho also mentioned that the ministry will work to maintain the momentum for trilateral cooperation with the US and Japan, reaffirming South Korea’s commitment to making progress in preparations for the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with Japan next year.
