Kang Kyung-wha: "Even if Biden is elected, North Korea-US relations will not return to square one"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha stated on the 5th that she does not believe that North Korea-U.S. relations will "return to square one" even if Democratic candidate Joe Biden wins the U.S. presidential election.

Minister Kang made this remark during a National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee session in response to a question from Kim Young-ho of the Democratic Party of Korea, who raised concerns that "if Biden is elected, the achievements in North Korea-U.S. relations created through President Donald Trump's top-down diplomacy might be reset." She added, "I am confident that Biden fundamentally values the South Korea-U.S. alliance and agrees on the importance of achieving denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula through close (South Korea-U.S.) cooperation."

Regarding Biden's recent use of terms like reduction and scaling down instead of denuclearization during a TV debate, and whether this implies he would not insist on complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization (CVID), Minister Kang said, "It is premature to make a definitive statement."

When Lee Tae-kyu of the People’s Party pointed out that the new U.S. administration might adhere to the Democratic Party’s traditional denuclearization policy of strategic patience or a bottom-up approach, Minister Kang responded, "Even if a Democratic administration takes office, it cannot be assumed that it will completely revert to the past strategic patience approach."

Minister Kang emphasized, "Whether Biden is elected or President Trump is re-elected, we have established communication channels," and added, "We will continue South Korea-U.S. cooperation by utilizing those channels."

Regarding criticism that a visit to the U.S. during this sensitive period when the election results have not been finalized is inappropriate, Minister Kang said, "(The timing) is sensitive, but it can be a good opportunity," and added, "We are coordinating to make it a beneficial visit." Minister Kang will visit Washington D.C. from the 8th to the 11th at the invitation of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

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