South Korea urges North Korea to engage in dialogue at regional security forum
Quick Look
- South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun urged North Korea to respond to dialogue offers and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Manila.
- North Korea was absent, while many participants expressed concerns over its nuclear and missile development.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Inter-Korean relations have been frozen since late 2023, when Pyongyang declared the two Koreas "two hostile states," and North Korea has not responded to calls for dialogue.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Thursday called on North Korea to respond to Seoul's offers for dialogue and join efforts to promote peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula at a regional security forum in Manila, the foreign ministry said.
Cho made the remarks during the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), a 27-member multilateral security forum attended by the 11 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states and major regional powers, including the United States, China, Japan and Russia.
The ARF is the only regional multilateral security forum in which both South and North Korea participate, but Pyongyang was absent from this year's session for the second consecutive year.
Cho said peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula remain essential to the security and prosperity of the region, reaffirming Seoul's efforts to build a peninsula where the two Koreas can coexist peacefully and grow together.
"Such efforts cannot bear fruit through the will of one side alone. I hope North Korea would respond to our sincere efforts for dialogue and cooperation," Cho was quoted as saying by the ministry.
The minister also expressed hope that the ARF would continue to play a constructive role in promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
Many participants expressed concerns over North Korea's continued development of nuclear weapons and missiles, while stressing the need for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and full compliance with relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions, according to the ministry.
Inter-Korean relations have remained frozen since Pyongyang declared in late 2023 that the two Koreas were "two hostile states." The North has not responded to Washington's calls for dialogue while deepening ties with Russia and China.
Cho expressed Seoul's support for the Manila Plan of Action (2026-2036), which was adopted at the meeting and sets out the forum's direction for cooperation over the next decade.
The minister also reaffirmed South Korea's commitment to expanding its contributions to ARF activities, noting that Seoul will take part in co-chairing several ARF inter-sessional meetings, including those on counter-terrorism and transnational crime, the ministry said.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
South Korea will co-chair several ARF inter-sessional meetings.
Very likely · Within months
The ARF will follow the Manila Plan of Action for cooperation over the next decade.
Very likely · Within years
Open Questions
- Will North Korea respond to South Korea's dialogue offers?
- How will the ARF continue to play a constructive role on the Korean Peninsula?
- What specific outcomes will result from the Manila Plan of Action (2026-2036)?
