Cho Hyun, Foreign Minister: "Efforts to Resume Dialogue on North Korea Policy Under South Korea-U.S. Cooperation... Halting Nuclear Development First"

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced plans to further strengthen South Korea-U.S. cooperation in the pursuit of future North Korea policy. In addition, it emphasized its intention to create the conditions necessary to secure the authority for uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing, which is one of the follow-up measures to the security agreements made between the leaders of South Korea and the United States.

Cho Hyun, Minister of Foreign Affairs, is reporting at the ministry work briefing chaired by President Lee Jae-myung held at the Blue House State Guest House on August 5, 2026. Photo by Blue House Press Photographers Group, Yonhap News Agency

On August 5, during a ministerial work briefing held at the Blue House State Guest House, Cho Hyun, Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated, “We will make efforts to create the conditions for resuming dialogue with North Korea under close cooperation between South Korea and the United States, and we will seek opportunities by making use of multilateral platforms such as the United Nations General Assembly.” Regarding North Korea’s nuclear issue, the ministry maintained its so-called “phased denuclearization” stance, prioritizing the suspension of North Korea’s nuclear and missile development programs. Cho also commented that, amid the growing closeness between North Korea and Russia and the restoration of North Korea-China relations, South Korea will continue to encourage China and Russia to play a constructive role in issues on the Korean Peninsula.

However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cited several obstacles, noting that North Korea still refuses dialogue and exchanges, and that global security issues such as the war in the Middle East have arisen. The ministry plans to support the resumption of dialogue between North Korea and the United States and will work to secure diverse communication channels through third countries and international organizations.

Minister Cho further stated, “We will expedite discussions to secure the requirements necessary for the construction of nuclear-powered submarines, and create conditions for the pursuit of uranium enrichment and reprocessing, while advancing the South Korea-U.S. alliance through strategic areas such as shipbuilding.” The first round of joint security negotiations for the Joint Fact Sheet (JFS) under the agreement between the leaders of South Korea and the U.S. began in early June. However, the second round, which was expected to take place in July, has been postponed indefinitely.

This year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will actively promote its “three-pronged virtuous cycle diplomacy” centered on the keywords of “self-reliance, alliance, and solidarity” in the second half of the year. The ministry will aim to secure the requirements for building nuclear-powered submarines and support the transfer of wartime operational control. Another major priority, prompted by the situation in the Middle East, is ensuring the stability of the country’s energy supply chain.

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