▲ Noh Kyu-duk (R), former special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, speaks during the Korean Peninsula Symposium, hosted by Yonhap News Agency, at a hotel in central Seoul on June 26, 2026. (Yonhap)
▲ Choi Jong-kun (C), former first vice foreign minister, and other panelists take part in a session at the Korean Peninsula Symposium, hosted by Yonhap News Agency, at a hotel in central Seoul on June 26, 2026. (Yonhap)

ex-officials-Yonhap symposium

Ex-nuclear envoy says potential Kim-Trump summit 'most important' to resolve N. Korean nuclear issue

SEOUL, June 26 (Yonhap) -- A former South Korean nuclear envoy said Friday a potential summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would be the "most important" way for a resolution to the North Korean nuclear issue.

Noh Kyu-duk, who served as special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs during former President Moon Jae-in's administration, made the remarks at a forum co-hosted by Yonhap News Agency.

"Cooperation with the international community will be very important for a resolution to the North Korean nuclear (issue)," he said. "Most of all, in my personal opinion, I think that contact between President Trump and Kim Jong-un would be the most important method."

"In that sense, coordination between South Korea and the United States is most important."

During his first term, Trump met Kim for two summits in Singapore and Hanoi in June 2018 and February 2019, respectively, and for a brief surprise meeting in the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom in June 2019.

The meetings, however, failed to produce meaningful progress in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.

Noh also proposed multilateral approaches for peace efforts on the Korean Peninsula, such as six-way talks involving the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan.

He suggested multilateral cooperation as a way to engage Pyongyang, such as multinational infrastructure projects that could involve North Korea. But he acknowledged that they would realistically be difficult given Pyongyang's unwillingness for dialogue with Seoul.

Meanwhile, Choi Jong-kun, former first vice foreign minister during Moon's term, called for "strategic autonomy" for South Korea in dealing with recent security and economic challenges.

Choi explained that "strategic autonomy" meant maintaining the alliance with the U.S. while also having the "political ability" to make decisions independently on matters involving key national interests.

"I believe that we must approach and respond to the North Korean issue or inter-Korean relations in a long-term perspective," he said at the session.

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