SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) – South Korea’s new foreign minister said on Tuesday he was confident about coordinating North Korea policy with the United States in spite of earlier implications of differences.
Chung Eui-yong, 74, assumed office as South Korea’s top diplomat, taking the place of Kang Kyung-wha, who had served in the post for nearly four years. Having been President Moon Jae-in’s first national security adviser until last year, Chung played a major role in the facilitation of Moon’s summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and sought to become the intermediary between Pyongyang and Washington.
Chung’s nomination came two days after Moon called for US President Joe Biden for a dialogue with North Korea to strengthen progress made by Kim and former US President Donald Trump at their first summit in Singapore.
Chung expressed confidence in coordinating with the new US administration, headed by President Joe Biden. It said that an early denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula is a common goal.
“Resolving the issue a very key task that can no longer be postponed,” Chung told reporters.
“Basically there is no big difference in the two sides’ positions. Given the solid alliance, I believe there won’t be major problems coordinating even if there are slight differences.”
Biden has not declared any official new North Korea policy. However, he had earlier said during a presidential debate in October that he would meet Kim only if he was ready to “draw down” the country’s nuclear capacity.
South Korea’s Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun told that the two sides should be on a pursuit of an interim deal including a end to the North’s nuclear activity and cut in its programmes in return for some sanctions relief.
North Korea had thrown an offer to remove its main nuclear facility in exchange for pulling out key UN sanctions, however, the United States said Pyongyang should also transfer its nuclear weapons and bomb fuel.