Seoul emphasizes coordination with US on North Korea nuclear talks

Seoul believed the resumption of talks between the US and North Korea should focus on progress on the North Korean nuclear weapons issue and must not undermine the country’s security readiness, Wi Sung-lac told reporters on Friday.

“One point to keep in mind is the need to coordinate with the United States to ensure that any resumption of US-North Korea dialogue leads to substantive progress on the North Korean nuclear issue, alongside efforts to establish a peace regime on the Korean peninsula,” Wi said.

To achieve these aims, policy coordination and communication between South Korea and the United States were more important than ever, he said.

At the same time, Seoul should ensure it was not “sidelined” in Washington’s efforts to restart talks with Pyongyang, Wi said.