President Lee Jae-myung said on the 18th that his government is continuing preparatory groundwork in its own way to make talks between the United States and North Korea possible.
Lee made the comment at a news conference at Cheong Wa Dae (the presidential office) in central Seoul, saying that U.S.-North Korea dialogue would serve as a crucial starting point for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, including inter-Korean relations. He added that what kind of agreement Washington and Pyongyang might reach is a secondary question, and that the two sides first need to talk about what is needed. Even that channel has been cut off, he said, but resuming dialogue between North Korea and the United States is far easier than resuming inter-Korean dialogue, and it is what would make inter-Korean talks possible.
Lee said he cannot say for certain whether a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will take place. What is clear, he said, is that Trump wants dialogue and that he himself has been urging Trump to pursue it. It remains difficult, he said, but it also cannot be declared impossible.
Turning to what he called the so-called concern in some quarters about "South Korea being bypassed," Lee said his country may stand at a distance in the early stages as dialogue advances, but that the South Korean government has a role to play in moving U.S.-North Korea relations forward. There is no need to worry about being bypassed, he added.
Lee said he would do his utmost even out of sight, so that tangible results and improvements can emerge, rather than seeking credit, raising his voice or drawing attention through radical action.
