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Unification Minister Chung Dong-young (right) meets with former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun at the minister's office in the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 21st. / Reporter Park Seong-il

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young met on the 21st with former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun, who led working-level negotiations with North Korea during the first Trump administration, to hear his views on the prospects of resuming U.S.-North Korea dialogue and future negotiation conditions.

In particular, former Deputy Secretary Biegun raised the possibility of a U.S.-North Korea summit following the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Shenzhen, China, this November.

He also presented a potential scenario in which U.S. President Donald Trump might visit Pyongyang on the occasion of attending APEC.

Meeting with former Deputy Secretary Biegun at the Government Complex Seoul that day, Minister Chung said, "I hope that this autumn will create a decisive phase where we can make a fresh start on the Korean Peninsula, overcoming the past seven years of severed ties and loss," adding, "The resolve of President Trump and North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un is the driving force that can move this pendulum forward."

Former Deputy Secretary Biegun is the figure who spearheaded U.S. negotiations with North Korea under the first Trump administration.

Ahead of the Hanoi U.S.-North Korea summit, he visited Pyongyang to conduct working-level negotiations and accompanied then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on his visit to North Korea.

Following the breakdown of the Hanoi summit in February 2019, he led official working-level talks in Stockholm, Sweden, in October of that same year with a North Korean negotiating delegation headed by Kim Myong-gil, roving ambassador of North Korea's Foreign Ministry. However, the talks ended without tangible results and remain the last official working-level negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea to date.

Minister Chung emphasized, "The period during which the leadership of President Lee Jae-myung and President Trump coincide is a decisively critical window," adding, "While there are both optimism and pessimism, the power to change history has always stemmed from optimism." Recalling the 2019 Stockholm working-level talks, he continued, "The past seven years have seen North Korea advance its nuclear capabilities, while the historic Singapore agreement between the U.S. and North Korea suffered setbacks," noting, "Inter-Korean relations were completely severed amid hostility and confrontation. We must move the hands of the clock forward once again."

Minister Chung also conveyed concerns over the risk of South Korea being sidelined in the process of resuming U.S.-North Korea dialogue, often referred to as "Korea passing."

In response, former Deputy Secretary Biegun noted President Trump's potential visit to Pyongyang during his keynote address at the time, emphasizing that South Korea should play a leading role in the resumption of U.S.-North Korea dialogue.

He also projected that North Korea is likely to view the outcome of the U.S. midterm elections in early November as a barometer of President Trump's future political standing, weighing the practical benefits of negotiating with the U.S. accordingly.

                                                                                                           Mok Yong-jae