Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Immediate inter-Korean summit infeasible, Lee Jae-myung says
Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, speaks during a meeting with students at Ajou University in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. Joint Press Corps
By Jung Min-ho
Liberal candidate dismisses concerns of Seoul being sidelined in potential Washington-Pyongyang talks
Holding an inter-Korean summit is necessary but it would be difficult in the near future, Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea, said Monday.
Asked by reporters about his unification policy, Lee said he would push to resume talks with Pyongyang if he becomes president, hinting at reversing the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s policy focused on deterrence against ― rather than negotiation with ― the North regime.
“I don’t know if it would be possible. It is going to be very difficult, given the circumstances. But of course we should prepare and make it possible,” Lee said.
Lee's stance is somewhat different from the usual stance of liberal administrations in the past, which used to set inter-Korean talks as a policy priority. This reflects the current inter-Korean relations which have been at their lowest in decades, with the North identifying the South as a separate and hostile nation and strengthening military ties with Russia in recent years.
Since taking office in January, U.S. President Donald Trump has made clear that he wants to reconnect with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, which has raised concerns in South Korea that Seoul could be disregarded in talks that will have critical consequences for its security.
Lee dismissed such concerns and said there would be a role South Korea can play in bridging the two parties and helping establish peace on the Korean Peninsula.
“Trump is seeking to restart dialogue with Kim Jong-un. If possible, we should be supportive and cooperative in making it successful,” Lee said.
“If we look back at past experiences, if the two sides improve relations through talks, North Korea would need projects requiring financial support … The North Korean pipeline was paid for by South Korean companies in the past, so there is no possibility that South Korea would be disregarded.”
Easing tensions and, ultimately, lowering the possibility of war on the peninsula should be the goal of the next administration’s North Korea policy, Lee said. To achieve that, he vowed to recover direct communication channels between the Koreas and seek deals to prevent both sides from taking any “tension-causing” action.
“The North Korean denuclearization process has long since stalled. The North’s nuclear and missile capabilities are growing stronger every day. We can no longer stand idly by,” he said in a social media post published the same day. “North Korea policy should not be a political tool. We should only think about how to achieve peace and unification.”
Critics have long attacked Lee and his party for prioritizing countries like China over South Korea’s traditional allies such as the U.S. in foreign policy.
To assure such skeptics, especially those concerned about security issues, Lee said he would strengthen relations with Washington. But he also promised that practical diplomacy that would benefit South Korea on the global stage more through better relations with more countries such as China, Russia and other members of the BRICS, a group of leading emerging economies. He also called Japan an important partner and vowed to pursue “future-oriented” relations in economic and cultural sectors.
“China is South Korea’s important trading partner and a key influence on the security of the Korean Peninsula. I would stabilize the relationship between China, which has reached its lowest point under the previous administration,” Lee said. “The U.S.-Russia relations and the war in Ukraine are entering a new phase. I would treat our relations with Russia from a national interest-first perspective, contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine and conduct pragmatic diplomacy for the security of Korea and our businesses.”