South Korea Conveys Willingness for Dialogue with North Korea

South Korea has conveyed its willingness to engage in dialogue with North Korea, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said. The message was delivered through Singapore, he added. Cho spoke in an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul on May 28, 2026, after meeting with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

Balakrishnan had visited China and North Korea, where he met North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui. "At this point, there are no visible signs of North Korea returning to dialogue," Cho said. "But we have fully conveyed our willingness to engage in dialogue and our basic policy position through Singapore, and I believe North Korea will eventually respond to efforts to ease tensions and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula, even if only gradually," he added.

Cho said the possibility of talks between the United States and North Korea "always remains open." He noted that the North Korean issue has been pushed down the U.S. list of priorities due to other matters.

Korean nuclear issues are expected to be among the agenda items during an upcoming visit to Seoul by a U.S. interagency delegation before mid-June. The delegation will launch bilateral working groups on the implementation of the joint fact sheet issued in November following the summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump.

The agreements include Seoul's US$350 billion investment package in the U.S. in exchange for a reduced U.S. tariff rate, and U.S. support for South Korea's push to acquire nuclear-powered submarines and secure uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing capabilities for peaceful use.

"We aim to revise our civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with the U.S. as soon as possible to enable uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing, while also accelerating cooperation in nuclear-powered submarines and the shipbuilding field," Cho said.

Cho noted that Seoul would need to conclude a separate agreement with Washington to receive the nuclear fuel needed for military uses, but said the process is unlikely to be difficult as precedents exist. Working-level consultations on the revision have been proceeding smoothly, he added.

Cho said he met with U.S. senators during his visit to Washington in February and sent explanatory documents to address concerns over nuclear proliferation risks. He also said issues over a potential rift between the allies have been handled well.