Inter-Korean Cooperation Project, First Korea-US Working-Level Meeting... US Deputy Representative Holds Director-Level Talks with Foreign Ministry and Unification Ministry

Lee Do-hoon, Head of the Korean Peninsula Peace Negotiations, Holds First Working Meeting After Visiting the US
Discusses Korean Peninsula Issues Including North Korea Individual Tourism

Lee Do-hoon, Director General for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Steve Biegun, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy at the Department of State, are holding a brief press conference on December 16 last year at the briefing room of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Korea-US working group meeting, a consultative body that coordinates issues related to inter-Korean cooperation including North Korea denuclearization and sanctions against North Korea, will be held in Seoul on the 10th and 11th. This is the first director-level meeting since Lee Do-hoon, head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Office for Peace and Northeast Asia, visited Washington DC from the 15th to the 18th of last month and held consultations with Steven Biegun, US Deputy Secretary of State and Special Representative for North Korea, as the chief representatives for North Korea denuclearization talks between Korea and the US.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 10th, Alex Wong, US Deputy Special Representative for North Korea, will meet with Lee Dong-ryeol, head of the Peace Diplomacy Planning Division, and Lee Moon-hee, head of the North Korea Nuclear Diplomacy Planning Division, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Seoul in the morning to assess the situation on the Korean Peninsula and discuss the resumption of North Korea-US dialogue and inter-Korean cooperation projects. Deputy Representative Wong is also scheduled to hold successive meetings with officials from the Blue House and the Ministry of Unification.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "We plan to exchange views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea-US dialogue, and discuss various matters such as inter-Korean cooperation projects," adding, "This is the first director-level meeting since Director Lee met with Deputy Secretary Biegun in Washington DC last month to discuss inter-Korean cooperation projects."

At this meeting, South Korea is expected to seek US cooperation on inter-Korean cooperation measures emphasized by President Moon Jae-in since the beginning of the year, including ▲ the resumption of the Kaesong Industrial Complex and Mount Kumgang tourism ▲ cooperation in border areas ▲ connection of inter-Korean railroads and roads ▲ and the internationalization of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) as a peace zone. It is reported that Deputy Secretary Biegun expressed agreement with the intent of inter-Korean cooperation projects mentioned by President Moon in his New Year's address during the chief representative consultations.

The South Korean government is expected to engage in prior coordination to ensure there are no issues related to sanctions against North Korea, especially as it plans to actively promote individual tourism to North Korea. Although individual tourism to North Korea itself does not violate sanctions, there are concerns that tourists’ personal belongings such as mobile phones and laptops could pose problems, necessitating prior consultations.

Although this consultation is part of the working group meetings that Korea and the US have been operating since November 2018, the South Korean government tends to avoid using the term "working group" due to North Korea’s criticism. On the other hand, it is known that the US clearly identified this meeting as a working group meeting.

Deputy Representative Wong will visit Director Lee, hold successive meetings with officials from the Blue House and the Ministry of Unification on the day, and depart on the 12th. A government official explained, "Deputy Representative Wong plans to meet with relevant departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Unification to discuss various issues, including the possibility of violating sanctions related to individual tourism to North Korea," adding, "Since this is the first follow-up meeting after last month’s Korea-US chief representative consultations, discussions are expected to cover various directions."

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