South Korea backs Trump's North Korea talks, seeks nuclear progress

South Korea publicly supports U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to re-engage North Korea in dialogue, while asserting its own strategic interests. The nation's primary concern is ensuring that any renewed talks lead to tangible progress on denuclearization and do not weaken South Korea's security posture or sideline Seoul's role in the process.

Wi Sung-lac, South Korea's national security adviser, stated that coordination with the United States is paramount. He emphasized that any dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea should focus on substantive steps toward dismantling Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program, alongside efforts to establish a lasting peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

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One point to keep in mind is the need to coordinate with the United States to ensure that any resumption of U.S.-North Korea dialogue leads to substantive progress on the North Korean nuclear issue, alongside efforts to establish a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

Wi cited President Trump's decision to scale back joint military drills with South Korea as a signal of the U.S. president's willingness to engage with North Korea. However, he also made it clear that Seoul must ensure it is not marginalized in Washington's diplomatic outreach to Pyongyang. Trump had previously cited Seoul's reluctance to assist in the Iran war as a reason for reducing the drills.

Looking ahead, South Korea, Japan, and the United States are scheduled to conduct joint military drills from September 9 to 11 to test readiness against North Korea's missile and nuclear threats. Wi also indicated that Seoul seeks to deepen cooperation with Washington on various issues that have sometimes caused friction, including trade, security cooperation, intelligence sharing, and the transfer of wartime operational control.

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At the same time, Seoul should ensure it was not 'sidelined' in Washington's efforts to restart talks with Pyongyang.