South Korean Unification Minister to visit Japan for talks with North Korea, possibility of meeting with Takaichi

It was learned on the 23rd that South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young is making arrangements to visit Japan next week. This was revealed by a source related to Japan and South Korea. He is also reportedly seeking talks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and other cabinet members. While U.S. President Trump has expressed interest in meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, South Korea appears to be hoping to explain its commitment to achieving dialogue with North Korea and confirm its cooperation with Japan.

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Chung visited North Korea in June 2005 as Unification Minister during the reformist Roh Moo-hyun administration and met with then-General Secretary Kim Jong-il. He is known for advocating for a conciliatory policy toward North Korea. This is the first time a minister of unification has visited Japan since the inauguration of the Lee Jae-myung administration in June last year. The Japanese side, which is facing issues such as the abduction issue, also seems to want to share its response with the South Korean side in order to advance Japan-North Korea relations, which continue to be at a stalemate.

At the US-South Korea summit in August last year, President Lee Jae-myung stated, ``If President Trump becomes a peacemaker, I will enthusiastically support (dialogue with North Korea) as a pacemaker,'' expressing his desire to be indirectly involved in US-North Korea dialogue. Mr. Lee also calls for a step-by-step approach to denuclearizing North Korea. However, North Korea maintains a hardline stance toward South Korea, and South Korea is unable to even begin to open dialogue with North Korea.