Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "Continuing Efforts to Return to Dialogue with North Korea"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently stated on the 7th that it will continue efforts to stably manage the situation on the Korean Peninsula and to encourage North Korea's return to dialogue in relation to inter-Korean relations.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said this in a briefing submitted to the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on the morning of the same day, stating that it is strengthening cooperation with neighboring countries to stably manage the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has discussed various measures that help engage North Korea, including joint South Korea-US humanitarian cooperation for North Korea, and conveyed that on the occasion of the South Korea-Russia senior nuclear representative talks on the 24th of last month, it requested Russia's constructive role to induce North Korea's return to dialogue.

It also stated that it will continue to request cooperation from China, Japan, and the European Union (EU) to prevent further deterioration of the situation in North Korea and to persuade North Korea to resume dialogue.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained regarding nuclear activities in Yongbyon, North Korea, that "South Korea and the US have continuously and closely monitored North Korea's movements and shared evaluations, and under the joint recognition that resuming dialogue for denuclearization progress is urgent, efforts to engage North Korea are ongoing."

Earlier, at the end of last month, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released a report indicating signs that North Korea restarted the Yongbyon reactor in early July.