S. Korea, U.S. express "interest" in reviving Trump-Kim dialogue

South Korea has reaffirmed its strong support for the resumption of dialogue with North Korea including that between the U.S. and the regime.

Oh Soo-young has the latest.

Seoul and Washington have again expressed their wish to revive top-level dialogue between the United States and North Korea.

On Friday, South Korea's Ministry of Unification said Seoul has on a number of occasions "revealed its active support" for resuming summitry between Washington and Pyongyang.

(Korean_AI)

"South Korea and the US share the position that they are open to dialogue with North Korea to seek peace on the Korean Peninsula and resolve the North Korean nuclear issue."

The official added that peace on the Korean Peninsula and inter-Korean relations are being discussed in preparation for the meeting of Presidents Lee Jae Myung and Donald Trump this month.

Various related agencies are closely coordinating on the matter, she said, saying further details cannot be revealed at this time.

This comes after a U.S. official on Thursday said Washington is "noting with interest" a recent remark by North Korea hinting it may be open to dialogue.

The U.S. State Department's Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian Affairs, Seth Bailey, referenced last week's statement made by Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Kim Yo-jong had said the relationship between the U.S. and North Korean leaders is "not bad," and called for a "new" approach by Washington, saying Pyongyang's nuclear capabilities and the geopolitical reality had changed since Donald Trump's first term.

But she flatly rejected the idea of denuclearization --included in the 2018 statement following then-President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un's first summit in Singapore.

The two leaders had agreed to work towards denuclearization and to build new bilateral relations.

Bailey said that the second Trump administration is still committed to the statement's principles, and that the U.S. leader has clearly shown his willingness to engage in negotiations.

Washington, however, remains committed to North Korea's denuclearization, through its alliance with South Korea to counter security challenges in Northeast Asia.

President Trump in his first term, met with Kim Jong-un on three occasions.

While the first Singapore Summit offered hope for a breakthrough deal on North Korea's denuclearization and economic development, disagreements over the scope of dismantling nukes led to the breakdown of their summit in Hanoi.

A meeting at the inter-Korean border in 2019 was brief and saw no outcome.

South Korea's new Lee Jae Myung administration has expressed its support for the resumption of Trump-Kim talks, as well as inter-Korean diplomacy.

Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.