"Sweden in Contact with Both Sides to Resume North America Dialogue"… Minister Kang Kyung-wha Says "North and South May Take Initiative Depending on Circumstances"

US-South Korea Foreign Ministers' Meeting Held in San Francisco
Minister Kang: "In a Broad Framework, North Korea-US and Inter-Korean Dialogues Need to Complement Each Other for a Virtuous Cycle"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been reported to be in contact with both North Korea and the United States to resume dialogue between the two sides. In this regard, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha attracted attention by mentioning that, depending on the situation, inter-Korean talks could take the lead before North Korea-US talks.

According to the Voice of America (VOA) broadcast on the 14th (local time), a spokesperson for the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "The Swedish government is ready to actively encourage and facilitate North Korea-US dialogue," adding, "We are communicating directly with both sides through the Special Envoy for the Korean Peninsula and embassy officials."

Robert O'Brien, US National Security Council (NSC) Advisor at the White House, stated in an interview with the US internet media Axios on the 10th that "We have contacted North Korean officials to inform them that we want to continue the negotiations last held in early October last year in Stockholm." It appears that the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs' disclosure of contact with both North Korea and the US is an extension of this US proposal.

Meanwhile, the South Korea-US Foreign Ministers' meeting was held for 50 minutes from 10 a.m. at the Four Seasons Hotel in Palo Alto near San Francisco on the same day. Minister Kang said, "Depending on the specific timing, North Korea-US could take the lead, or inter-Korean talks could take the lead." After consecutively holding the South Korea-US Foreign Ministers' meeting, the South Korea-US-Japan Foreign Ministers' meeting, and the South Korea-Japan Foreign Ministers' meeting in Palo Alto near San Francisco, Minister Kang met with reporters and was asked whether there was any difference in the US position regarding President Moon Jae-in's inter-Korean cooperation plan. Minister Kang stated, "Our basic position is that North Korea-US and inter-Korean dialogues should complement each other and proceed through a virtuous cycle," before making this remark.

Minister Kang continued, "There have been important agreements between the two Koreas so far, and among them, there are parts where North Korea sanctions are not an issue, and if there are sanction issues, there are definitely projects that can be carried out with exemptions," adding, "I exchanged various opinions with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo." She emphasized, "The US side fully understands our will and hopes." This dismissed concerns about differences in views between South Korea and the US regarding North Korea sanctions.

As expected, the issue of dispatching troops to the Strait of Hormuz due to the worsening Middle East situation was also raised at the meeting table. Secretary Pompeo mentioned that if the safety of the Strait of Hormuz becomes threatened, the impact on the global economy would be significant due to rising oil prices, stating, "All countries must work together to contribute to stabilizing the Middle East situation." In response, Minister Kang said, "Since we depend on that region for 70% of our crude oil imports, Korea also has a strong interest and should contribute in that regard."

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