Jeong Dongyoung Meets Former U.S. Deputy Secretary: "Decisions by Trump and Kim Jong Un Are the Driving Force for Resuming North Korea-U.S. Dialogue"

"A Decisive Turning Point for a New Beginning on the Korean Peninsula Expected This Fall"

Minister of Unification Jeong Dongyoung stated, "This fall, I hope a decisive moment will emerge for a new beginning on the Korean Peninsula, overcoming the seven years of severance and loss." He stressed the importance of creating an opportunity to resume U.S.-North Korea talks, which have been suspended since the 2019 Stockholm working-level negotiations.

Jeong Dongyoung, Minister of Unification, is taking a commemorative photo before a meeting with former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun at the Seoul Government Complex in Jongno-gu, Seoul on September 21, 2026. Photo by Jo Yongjun

On September 21, at the Seoul Government Complex, Minister Jeong met with Stephen Biegun, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and former Special Representative for North Korea. "The resolve of U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is the driving force that can move the pendulum forward," he said.

He continued, "The period in which President Lee Jaemyung's leadership and President Trump's leadership coincide is a critically important time," emphasizing, "While both optimism and pessimism exist, I believe the power to change history has always come from optimism."

Minister Jeong also addressed the breakdown in dialogue that followed the U.S.-North Korea working-level talks in Stockholm, Sweden in October 2019. At that time, Stephen Biegun and Kim Myonggil, North Korea's Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large, served as the chief negotiators, but the talks collapsed.

He assessed, "The past seven years were not simply lost time, but a period during which North Korea's nuclear capabilities advanced, and the historic U.S.-North Korea Singapore Agreement regressed. South and North Korea became completely estranged in an era of hostility and confrontation, marking a time of defeat." He then reiterated, "Now is the time to move the clock forward once again."

Minister Jeong also asked former Deputy Secretary Biegun about concerns regarding so-called 'Korea passing' if the environment for U.S.-North Korea talks is reestablished. In response, Biegun referenced his keynote speech at a Korea Risk Group conference held in Incheon on September 17, saying he would discuss the issue in depth with Minister Jeong.

In that speech, Biegun remarked on the direction of U.S.-North Korea talks, saying, "The United States could capitalize on resumed dialogue with North Korea as an opportunity to slow or freeze the North's nuclear buildup, thereby enhancing the security and stability of the Korean Peninsula and improving inter-Korean relations. While superficial showpiece summits may be of little use, there is significance in quiet and steady diplomacy that seeks a combination of incentives and mutual concessions."

The possibility of a meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un was also discussed. Former Deputy Secretary Biegun noted the likelihood that President Trump might seek a meeting with Kim Jong Un after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China in November. He added, "Even if President Trump were to propose such a meeting in Pyongyang, it would not be at all surprising."

During the first Trump administration, Biegun served as Special Representative for North Korea, leading summit diplomacy and working-level negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea in 2018–2019. He later attended the October 2019 working-level talks in Stockholm as the U.S. representative and subsequently served as Deputy Secretary of State.

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