UNITED NATIONS (AP) 鈥 South Korea鈥檚 president has asked President Donald Trump to become 鈥渁 peacemaker鈥 and use his leadership to get North Korea to talks to reduce military tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the South鈥檚 top diplomat said Friday.
Trump 鈥渨elcomed鈥 the request from President Lee Jae Myung and “he expressed his willingness to be engaged with North Korea again,鈥 Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said in an interview with The Associated Press. There was no immediate word from the White House.
Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met three times as North Korea was building a nuclear weapons stockpile, which Kim views as key to the country鈥檚 security and his continued rule of the northeast Asian nation.
There were two summits in Singapore in June 2018, and in Vietnam in February 2019, where Trump and Kim disagreed about U.S.-led sanctions against the North. A third meeting that year at the border between the two Koreas failed to salvage their nuclear talks and Kim has since shunned any diplomacy with the U.S. and South Korea.
鈥淚t would be fantastic if they met with each other in the near future,鈥 Cho said. “And President Lee Jae Myung made it clear to President Trump that he will not be sitting in the driver鈥檚 seat. He asked president Trump to become a peacemaker, and he relegated himself to become a pacemaker,鈥 the foreign minister said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 mind. On the contrary, we want president Trump (to) exercise his leadership to pull North Korea to dialogue table.鈥
Can a meeting happen?
Since Trump returned to power in January, he has repeatedly expressed hope of restarting talks with Kim. The North Korean leader said Monday he still has 鈥済ood memories鈥 of Trump but urged the United States to drop its demand that the North surrender its nuclear arms as a precondition for resuming long-stalled diplomacy.
Trump is expected to visit South Korea next month to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which has prompted media speculation that he might meet Kim again at the border. Trump is also expected to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during that meeting.
The foreign minister said Lee asked Trump to take the lead because the world has changed and become 鈥渕uch more precarious鈥 since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
鈥淎ccordingly, we are equally worried about any possible military skirmish on the Korean Peninsula,鈥 Cho said. 鈥淪o we are compelled to explore dialogues with North Korea to reduce the military tension, and at least we want to have a hotline.鈥
He stressed that denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula 鈥渋s the imperative 鈥 we cannot let it go.鈥
Tensions between the Koreas continue apace
Early Friday, South Korea鈥檚 military said it fired warning shots to drive away a North Korean merchant ship that briefly crossed the disputed western sea boundary between the two countries, amid continuing high tensions.
鈥淚鈥檓 not surprised at all,鈥 Cho said, 鈥渂ut this incident justifies the policy of the new government that we need to have a hotline between the militaries, reduce the military tension and build confidence between the two parties.鈥
Lee, who headed the left-leaning Democratic Party, won a snap election in June following the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol after his short-lived imposition of martial law in December. Cho, a career diplomat and former U.N. ambassador, took office as foreign minister on July 19.
In Lee’s speech to the annual meeting of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, he said South Korea has come back to the international community as a normal state after the domestic turmoil and has demonstrated its commitment to democracy.
Cho said he felt 鈥渁 bit uncomfortable鈥 talking about the previous government compared to the current government, since Yoon was elected. But Cho recalled that when Yoon, who had been a prosecutor, was elected, he was convinced 鈥渉e would become an aberration.鈥
Peace is the priority, the diplomat says
Since becoming foreign minister, Cho said he has been explaining to neighboring countries, including during visits to Japan and China, that the new government 鈥渋s determined to seek peace on the Korean Peninsula and also in northeast Asia.鈥
He said the government wants to engage China and he had a 鈥渧ery good constructive meeting鈥 with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, 鈥渂ut I made it clear that there are certain things we cannot accept.鈥
Cho referred to China鈥檚 installation of 鈥渟omething鈥 in the Yellow Sea that infringes on South Korea鈥檚 sovereignty. 鈥淪o we made it clear that it be removed. Otherwise, we would think about taking proper measures,鈥 he said.
Cho flew to Washington immediately after a massive raid by U.S. immigration officers at a Hyundai plant in southeast Georgia detained 475 people, the majority of them South Koreans. It became a major diplomatic issue between the two countries.
The minister said Trump intervened and wanted them to remain, but they were chained and handcuffed and his primary objective was to get them back home.
Cho said his talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio ended up having 鈥渁 silver lining鈥 because obtaining visas for South Korean workers has been a longstanding problem and 鈥渨e were able to address this issue squarely and we will be able to sort out the problem.鈥
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Edith M. Lederer has covered international affairs for The Associated Press for more than a half century.
