▲ South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok speaks during a meeting with reporters at the South Korean Embassy in Washington on Jan. 23, 2026. (Yonhap)
▲ South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok (L) and U.S. Vice President JD Vance pose for a photo as they meet for talks at the White House in Washington on Jan. 23, 2026, in this photo released by the prime minister's office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(2nd LD) PM-Vance-meeting

(2nd LD) PM proposes idea of U.S. sending special envoy to N. Korea in talks with Vance

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By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said Friday that he proposed the idea of the United States sending a special envoy to North Korea as a way to improve relations between Washington and Pyongyang during his talks with U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

Kim presented the idea during the 50-minute meeting at the White House as Vance requested his advice on diplomacy with the recalcitrant regime, he said, amid speculation that U.S. President Donald Trump could seek a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un when he visits China in April.

The two sides also discussed South Korea's ongoing probe into Coupang Inc., a U.S.-listed firm, over a massive customer data leak, amid concerns that it could escalate into a trade issue. Vance requested that Seoul ensure the issue would not cause "misunderstandings" between the two governments, according to Kim.

"First, (I told Vance) that in reality, only Trump has the will and capability to improve relations (with North Korea)," he said.

"Secondly, I said that sending a special envoy to North Korea, whoever that may be, can be an approach to express an intent to enhance relations (with the North)," he added.

Kim said that he has his own ideas about "optimal" special envoy candidates should Seoul be in a position to make a recommendation.

But he refused to elaborate, noting that in the early 1990s, the then South Korean government proposed the U.S.' dispatch of former President Jimmy Carter to Pyongyang as a special envoy to help address the North's nuclear issue.

Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to resume dialogue with Kim, but it remains uncertain whether the North Korean leader will accede to Washington's dialogue overtures at a time of Pyongyang's deepening cooperation with Moscow and Beijing.

During his first term, Trump had three in-person meetings with Kim as a result of his personal diplomacy: the first summit in Singapore in June 2018, the second in Hanoi in February 2019 and the third at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom in June 2019.

The issue surrounding Coupang figured prominently at the Kim-Vance meeting that took place a day after two U.S. investors notified Seoul on Thursday of their intent to bring arbitration claims against it over what they called "discriminatory" acts toward the e-commerce giant, and requested a U.S. government probe into the matter.

The Seoul government has been conducting a probe into the data leak incident, in which about 33.7 million customers are believed to have been affected. Coupang has claimed a perpetrator accessed data from only about 3,000 of the accounts in question.

"Vance requested that Seoul and Washington manage the issue well to ensure that it will not cause misunderstandings between the two governments, and will not be heating up," Kim said.

Kim shared the view, and pledged to expeditiously provide Seoul's explanation when false information arises over the ongoing investigation, he said.

The prime minister also explained to Vance "clearly" that there has been no discriminatory treatment regarding U.S. businesses in South Korea, he stressed.

In addition, he touched on the U.S. investors' document sent to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, in which they claimed Kim urged regulators in December to approach enforcement against Coupang for the data breach "with the same determination used to wipe out mafias."

He rejected that claim, and provided Vance with an English version of a press release that his office issued on Thursday to dismiss it.

"Relations between South Korea and the U.S. are firm enough not to be swayed by a particular company's lobbying," Kim said.

Kim and Vance agreed to maintain a "hotline" for enhanced communication. Kim also extended his invitation for the vice president to visit Seoul.

The meeting came on the second day of his five-day trip to the U.S., which marks his first overseas trip as prime minister and the first standalone trip to the U.S. by a South Korean premier since the Asian country's democratization in the late 1980s.

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