South Korea: The US and begin discussing North Korea strategy

South Korea: According to authorities, South Korea and the US conducted meetings on Tuesday to coordinate their North Korea policies, an endeavor that seems to be hampered by disagreements across pertinent ministries in Seoul.

The consultative meeting was the first time the allies have discussed North Korea-related matters since the liberal Lee Jae Myung administration took office in June. Seoul wants to help Washington and Pyongyang resume communication despite the North’s persistent rejection of overtures.

Kevin Kim, the acting US ambassador to South Korea, and Jeong Yeon-doo, the foreign ministry’s deputy minister for diplomatic strategy and intelligence, presided over the meeting on Tuesday.

The summit will cover a wide range of North Korea-related issues, including strategies for reestablishing contact with the isolated nation, according to the foreign ministry’s previous statement. According to the ministry, it wants to establish the conversation channel as a regular operation.

However, the unification ministry, which is in charge of inter-Korean matters, has objected to the US-led conversation with the foreign ministry, saying it may jeopardize the chances of repairing relations with Pyongyang.

According to reports, Chung Dong-young, the minister of unification, and a number of other Cabinet members have voiced fear that the discussion channel would follow the same course as the bilateral “working group” that Seoul and Washington operated during the Moon Jae-in administration from 2018 to 21.

The working group was established in November 2018 to facilitate prompt and tight coordination among the allies on everything pertaining to North Korea, from sanctions and denuclearization to inter-Korean cooperation. The Moon administration had also made significant investments in promoting nuclear negotiations between the US and the North and in reconciliation with Pyongyang.

However, as talks focused on adhering to UN sanctions against Pyongyang, the working group began to be seen as a surveillance device that impeded Seoul’s peace efforts toward the North, according to Yonhap news agency.

The unification ministry has participated in important bilateral meetings on North Korea with the US, given its position in inter-Korean affairs.

The unification ministry said on Monday that it would not participate in the meeting on Tuesday and will, if needed, have its own discussions with the US about North Korean policy.

According to the foreign ministry, the discussions also follow the commitments made in a joint summit fact sheet, whereby the two nations agreed to have close discussions on matters pertaining to North Korea.