All options open on NK peace plan: acting US ambassador to Seoul

Acting U.S. Ambassador to Korea Kevin Kim speaks during a forum hosted by the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation at Dragon Hill Lodge in Yongsan District, Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

U.S. options for a peace plan on North Korea remain open, acting U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Kevin Kim said Friday, casting President Donald Trump as a “peacemaker” willing to pursue unconventional approaches toward Pyongyang.

"Given my experience working for the president on North Korea, one must always talk to the fact that he is the peacemaker himself. He can take approaches that have not been tried before," Kim said at a forum hosted by the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation, when asked whether the Trump administration is considering a peace initiative for North Korea similar to those pursued in the Middle East.

"Our job as a staff working for him is to increase the number of options for the president to choose from. He is the deciding one," he added.

"I never want to say 'never' about any possible options moving forward ... On the Korean Peninsula, whichever path that's taken will be based on ensuring the security of the Korean Peninsula.”

Kim, who took office in October, previously handled working-level negotiations on nuclear talks with North Korea during Trump's first term. During that period, Trump held three meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un: the Singapore summit in June 2018, the Hanoi summit in February 2019 and a meeting at the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjeom in June 2019.

The U.S. diplomat's remarks come at a time when South Korean officials are hoping that Trump's renewed openness to talks with Pyongyang will break a protracted stalemate between the two Koreas.

President Lee Jae Myung shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump during a bilateral summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Oct. 29, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. AFP-Yonhap

Meanwhile, Kim said the U.S. will maintain its commitment to extended deterrence, responding to a question about rising calls in Seoul to develop its own nuclear weapons amid doubts over Washington's nuclear umbrella.

"At the core, our presence here continues as an enduring commitment, and physical presence of what the U.S. has committed to provide to the ROK (South Korea) based on our mutual defense treaty," he said, apparently referring to the roughly 28,500 U.S. troops stationed on the peninsula. "With respect to specific capabilities, the U.S. will continue to provide extended deterrence, and that is our policy moving forward."

Kim also described a joint fact sheet outlining trade and security commitments following the recent summit between President Lee Jae Myung and Trump as a "historic document."

The agreement includes South Korea’s pledge to raise defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP and to allocate $25 billion for the purchase of U.S. weapons systems. It also outlines expanded economic cooperation, from targeted reductions in U.S. sectoral tariffs to substantial South Korean investments in American shipbuilding and strategic technology industries.

"America's future depends on Korea, and Korea's future depends on America," he said, praising South Korea as a model ally willing to shoulder a greater share of the defense burden. "Ultimately, what matters is that we strengthen deterrence on the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region."

Seoul and Washington have been seeking to modernize their alliance, expanding its focus beyond deterring North Korea’s nuclear threat to broader regional challenges, including China's rising influence. These discussions include whether U.S. troops in Korea would play a role in a potential conflict between China and Taiwan.

The acting ambassador declined to comment directly on the so-called "2027 deadline" for a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan, saying, "I can't speak to the probabilities. All I know is that the Chinese military is in the middle of a historic buildup to strengthen its military capabilities."

He added, "Whatever happens, I know that the president is interested in preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."