Presidential Office: Mongolia Expresses Willingness to Facilitate Inter-Korean Dialogue, Focuses on Rare Earth Supply Chains

▲ President Lee Jae-myung greets Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh after a joint press conference at the Government Palace in Ulaanbaatar on July 9 (local time).

Regarding the outcome of the summit between President Lee Jae-myung and Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, the Presidential Office stated that Mongolia has expressed its willingness to play a necessary role in creating conditions for improving inter-Korean relations and resuming dialogue with North Korea.

A high-ranking official from the Presidential Office explained on July 9 (local time) that "the two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation for the realization of peace on the Korean Peninsula," adding, "The two leaders confirmed that peace and stability in the region, including the Korean Peninsula, are in the mutual interest of both countries."

In particular, the official conveyed that President Khurelsukh stated, "I actively support the South Korean government's efforts to realize peace on the Korean Peninsula. As Mongolia maintains traditional friendly relations with North Korea, we will play a necessary role in creating conditions for improving inter-Korean relations and resuming dialogue (with North Korea)."

Regarding discussions on peace on the Korean Peninsula, President Lee said in a written interview with Mongolia's state-run news agency, released on the morning of July 9 (local time), that he has "a vision to comprehensively pursue a phased approach to denuclearization."

However, the joint press statement released after the summit did not include the term "denuclearization," mentioning only "efforts to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula." This led to interpretations that the term "denuclearization," which North Korea is sensitive about, may have been omitted to reflect the friendly relations between Mongolia and North Korea.

In response, the high-ranking official explained, "The Korean Peninsula issue and the (North Korean) nuclear issue were also addressed during the (summit). Please look at the discussions as a whole."

This is interpreted to mean that since the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue is included in the broader framework of efforts to establish peace, it is difficult to attach special significance to the omission of the term in the press statement.

Regarding economic cooperation between the two leaders, the official mentioned cooperation on rare earth supply chains, stating, "This area was discussed with significant weight."

The official stated, "Mongolia also actively explained its situation and expressed its willingness to cooperate, and we also expressed our intent to cooperate," adding, "This is a matter where cooperation is already underway between companies and departments of both sides."

The official added, "We intend to accelerate discussions by establishing relevant organizations and consultative bodies in the future," and "This is an area President Lee is paying close attention to, to the extent that he held additional discussions with relevant ministers after the summit concluded."

When asked, "How effective is cooperation with Mongolia expected to be in reducing reliance on China for rare earths?" the official replied, "It is a well-known fact that the government's position is to reduce the risk of excessive reliance (on a specific country) by diversifying supply chains, but (the target of diversification) is not limited to Mongolia alone." The official added, "If there is an entity of excessive reliance, we intend to create multiple alternative dependencies."

(Photo: Yonhap News)

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