Cho Hyun: "North Korea Will Negotiate with the U.S. Anytime If the Price Is Right"

Cho Hyun, Minister of Foreign Affairs, commented on the possibility of resuming North Korea–U.S. dialogue, stating, "If the price is right, North Korea would be willing to negotiate with the United States at any time." This suggests that if the United States presents appropriate negotiation terms to North Korea, the possibility of resuming North Korea–U.S. dialogue remains open.

Cho Hyun, Minister of Foreign Affairs, is being interviewed by Yonhap News Agency on the 28th at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs annex in the Government Complex Seoul, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to Yonhap News Agency on the 29th, Minister Cho made these remarks during an interview held the previous day at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He said, "I believe the possibility is always open." He added, "In the past, during the previous China talks and at the Gyeongju meeting last year, and due to various other issues, it seems the North Korea issue was pushed down the list of priorities."

Meanwhile, there is speculation that the North Korean nuclear issue may be discussed during the visit to South Korea by Allison Hooker, the U.S. Under Secretary of State and a well-known North Korea expert at the State Department. Previously, South Korea and the United States agreed to hold a kickoff meeting in Seoul on June 2–3 to discuss the implementation of security agreements reached between the two presidents. On the U.S. side, Under Secretary Hooker is scheduled to visit South Korea, leading an interagency delegation.

Additionally, Minister Cho revealed that the South Korean government delivered its message to North Korea through Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs, who recently visited North Korea. On May 26, Minister Balakrishnan held talks in Pyongyang with Choe Son Hui, North Korea's Foreign Minister, then visited South Korea and met with Minister Cho on the following day to brief him on the outcome of the visit to North Korea.

Minister Cho stated, "Our government's commitment to dialogue and our basic position were fully conveyed to the Singapore side, and since the message was delivered, I believe that North Korea will, at some point, respond to efforts to ease tensions and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula." He continued, "I heard that North Korea's so-called 'theory of two hostile states,' which it has long asserted, was something that was directly observed and reported back." However, Minister Cho also noted, "At present, there are no signs that North Korea is willing to come to the negotiating table," adding, "Nevertheless, we provided a detailed explanation of the new North Korea policy of the Lee Jaemyung administration."

Regarding incentives to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table, Minister Cho emphasized the importance of the United States' role. "This is a matter for the United States to decide," he said. "From our perspective, as President Lee Jaemyung has stated, we hope to play the role of a pacemaker so that (U.S. President Donald Trump) can become the peacemaker."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.