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/Yonhap

Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young highlighted the upcoming U.S.-China summit in September and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China, in November as critical junctures for the Korean Peninsula's geopolitical landscape this year. His remarks underscored the need for the government to step up diplomatic efforts to leverage these back-to-back summits between the leaders of the U.S. and China to actively address Korean Peninsula issues.

"I believe both North Korea and the U.S. have strategic demands regarding dialogue," Minister Chung projected during a meeting with Ministry of Unification correspondents ahead of his first anniversary in office.

"North Korea-U.S. dialogue can take place at any time," he emphasized, adding, "The government must do its utmost to facilitate this dialogue." He further noted, "Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the U.S. in September and U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to China in November could serve as key catalysts." He also stressed the need for the government to actively participate in the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) to be held in Vladivostok, Russia, this September. "Former Presidents Moon Jae-in and Park Geun-hye, as well as prime minister-level officials, have attended in the past," Chung remarked. "Given that Russian President Vladimir Putin is also interested in improving South Korea-Russia relations, our participation is necessary."

Minister Chung reiterated the necessity of a "peace-first" policy, pointing out that the doctrine of "prior denuclearization" and the "complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization" (CVID) policy have effectively been abandoned. "The prior denuclearization championed by past administrations was largely for domestic political consumption," he noted. "The reality is that placing prior denuclearization at the entry point of dialogue with North Korea prevents dialogue from happening in the first place."

While assessing that President Lee Jae-myung is doing his best in his role as a "pacemaker" to resolve Korean Peninsula issues whenever he meets with leaders of major nations, Chung admitted, "As the Ministry of Unification, I feel a sense of regret regarding whether the government is properly supporting these efforts." Reflecting on the Lee Jae-myung administration's North Korea policy over the past year, he described it as "a process of rebuilding trust amidst the ruins of inter-Korean relations." As measures to restore trust with North Korea, he cited apologizing for the drone infiltration incident, stopping loudspeaker broadcasts and the inflow of outside information into the North, and suspending the North Korean Human Rights Center project.

In a message sent to Ministry of Unification staff on the same day for his first anniversary in office, Minister Chung stated, "We have cleared away the anachronistic, dark shadow of 'northward march of freedom' and firmly planted the principle of 'peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula' within our nation."

                                                                                                           Mok Yong-jae