Seoul, Nov 25 (NationPress) South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young emphasized the necessity of robust collaboration between South Korea and the United States to facilitate the revival of discussions between Washington and Pyongyang during his meeting with the acting US Ambassador to South Korea, Kevin Kim, on Tuesday.

The unification ministry reported that Chung highlighted a "window of opportunity" that has emerged for resuming talks following the summits that took place during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in late October. He also mentioned that the timeframe leading up to the planned US-China talks in April will be pivotal, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Chung further stated that South Korea is committed to enhancing its role as a "pacemaker" to facilitate summit discussions between Pyongyang and Washington and elaborated on ongoing initiatives to restore inter-Korean relations.

Both Chung and Kim agreed on the necessity of maintaining close communication and collaboration to further peace on the Korean Peninsula, grounded in a strong alliance, as per the ministry's statement.

In a separate update on X, previously known as Twitter, the US Embassy in South Korea reported that Kim and Chung deliberated on shared objectives and underscored the critical nature of strong US-South Korea cooperation on key alliance matters.

This meeting took place amidst speculation that US President Donald Trump's upcoming visit to China in April might serve as a crucial juncture in the revival of dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.

On November 23, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung cautioned about the risks of unintentional clashes with North Korea, stating that Seoul must persist in its diplomatic efforts to resume discussions with Pyongyang to mitigate these risks.

Lee shared this evaluation on inter-Korean relations during a press conference while flying from Johannesburg to Ankara on Sunday (local time) as part of his four-nation tour of Africa and the Middle East.

"Inter-Korean relations have become extremely hostile and confrontational, with North Korea undertaking very aggressive actions devoid of even the most basic level of trust," Lee informed reporters. "We find ourselves in a perilous situation where unintended clashes could erupt at any moment."

He reiterated his appeal for dialogue following Seoul's proposal for military discussions to clarify the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), which aims to avert accidental confrontations near the border. This suggestion arose amid repeated instances of North Korean troops briefly crossing the MDL while engaged in land clearing or laying mines in the buffer zone.

Lee pointed out that North Korea has been erecting triple layers of barbed wire along the MDL, heightening the chances of warning-fire incidents due to differing interpretations of the exact border line.

“With all lines of communication severed, if an accidental clash occurs, there will be no means to resolve it,” he stated.

To reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula, Lee emphasized the need to advocate for dialogue with Pyongyang, even if it remains unresponsive.

While reaffirming that unification with North Korea is the ultimate aim of South Korea, Lee clarified that this should be approached from a long-term standpoint.

“We do not intend to pursue unification through absorption,” he stressed, highlighting that discussions on unification should only occur post-resumption of dialogue and establishment of peaceful coexistence.