National Security Office Director Wi Sung-lak stated today (the 28th) regarding the atmosphere surrounding North Korea-US dialogue, "As a stakeholder and pacemaker for peace on the Korean Peninsula, we will support trust-building between North Korea and the US so that U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts lead to the resumption of North Korea-US dialogue."

Meeting with reporters at Cheong Wa Dae today, Director Wi made these remarks, saying, "President Trump has recently reduced South Korea-U.S. joint exercises and outdoor maneuver training while continuing to express his will to engage with North Korea."

Director Wi emphasized, "One of the points we must keep in mind is cooperating with the U.S. side so that the future resumption of North Korea-US dialogue leads to substantial progress on the North Korean nuclear issue, along with the establishment of a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula," adding, "We need a multidimensional approach that properly prepares for such aspects."

This appears to reflect the perception that, given how the 2018–2019 North Korea-US dialogue failed to yield concrete results, securing substantial progress this time is more important than anything else.

In particular, he explained, "Another point to watch out for in this process is ensuring that our defense posture is not relaxed and that South Korea is not bypassed."

Director Wi explained, "To carry out these tasks smoothly, policy coordination and communication between South Korea and the U.S. are more important than ever."

He added, "There are various pending issues such as investment matters between South Korea and the U.S., corporate issues like Coupang, security cooperation, intelligence cooperation, and the wartime operational control (OPCON) transition," and "The government is making every effort to coordinate these issues well and strengthen the cooperative system between South Korea and the U.S."

Meanwhile, Director Wi also shared details of his conversation with Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese Foreign Minister, who recently visited South Korea.

Director Wi conveyed, "We held a meeting and luncheon lasting just over two hours, and it is meaningful that the dialogue between the South Korean National Security Office Director and the Chinese Foreign Minister, which had been suspended since 2021, has resumed after five years," adding, "Both sides decided to operate this channel on a regular basis. We also agreed to discuss plans for me to visit China at a convenient time."

In addition, he explained that through this meeting, both sides agreed to embark in earnest on preparations for President Lee Jae-myung's attendance at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China, in November.

(Photo: Yonhap News)