South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young speaks to reporters at a press briefing in Seoul, South Korea. File. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
June 4 (Asia Today) — South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Thursday proposed resuming four-way talks among South Korea, North Korea, the United States and China to help establish peace in Northeast Asia.
Chung, who is visiting Mongolia, also called for expanding the framework to include Mongolia, Japan, Russia and other regional countries. He made the proposal during a special address at the 11th Ulaanbaatar Dialogue in Mongolia.
Chung said Northeast Asia needs to build a new “peace identity” by restoring trust between South and North Korea and rebuilding peace on the Korean Peninsula.
It was the first visit to Mongolia by a South Korean unification minister. The trip was made at the invitation of the Mongolian government.
The Ulaanbaatar Dialogue is a regular international forum that covers security issues in Northeast Asia. It began in 2014 as a private academic conference and was upgraded in 2017 to a Track 1.5 forum involving government and nongovernment participants. North Korea has not attended the forum since 2019.
On the Korean Peninsula peace process, Chung said, “A four-party dialogue among the Republic of Korea, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the United States and China is possible.”
“We should expand this framework so that other Northeast Asian countries, including Mongolia, Japan and Russia, can also join,” he said.
Chung also referred to the Sept. 19 Joint Statement adopted during the six-party talks in 2005. He said the six parties had agreed to promote lasting peace and security in Northeast Asia.
“It is time to apply that experience to today’s reality and rekindle the flame of dialogue,” Chung said.
Chung also proposed strengthening cooperation under the Greater Tumen Initiative, a multilateral platform for development and economic cooperation in Northeast Asia.
He called for connecting regional railway networks, including the Trans-Siberian Railway, Trans-China Railway, Trans-Mongolian Railway and a proposed Seoul-Beijing high-speed rail link, with the Arctic shipping route.
“By connecting transportation networks with regional markets and trade flows, we can build an innovative logistics network across Eurasia,” Chung said.
“To turn these ideas into reality, I urge the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to rejoin the Greater Tumen Initiative as a full member,” he said. “They would be the biggest beneficiary of this vision.”
North Korea was an early member of the Greater Tumen Initiative but withdrew in 2009.
Chung said three goals must move forward together: rebuilding trust between the two Koreas, institutionalizing a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula and advancing multilateral dialogue in Northeast Asia.
“If these three pillars move forward together, we can build a new peace order across Northeast Asia,” he said.
After his special address, Chung met separately with Mongolian Foreign Minister Battsetseg Batmunkh and President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh. Chung left South Korea on Wednesday to attend the forum and is scheduled to return Friday.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260605010001616
