New Vice‑Ministerial Channel Formalizes Inter‑Ministry North Korea Coordination On January 16, the Unification Ministry and the Foreign Ministry inaugurated a vice‑ministerial level consultative channel to coordinate South Korea’s North Korea policy, holding a luncheon as the first session and targeting improved information sharing and policy alignment across agencies [1].

Kim Nam‑jung and Jeong Yeon‑doo Lead Inaugural Session Vice Unification Minister Kim Nam‑jung and senior official Jeong Yeon‑doo chaired the opening luncheon, using the meeting to address a prior dispute over which ministry should steer U.S. policy talks on North Korea and to set a schedule for regular discussions of Pyongyang’s actions [1].

Unification Ministry Assigned Lead on U.S. Peninsula Consultations Unification Minister Chung Dong‑young announced that his ministry will now handle all consultations with the United States concerning Korean Peninsula and inter‑Korean matters, a clarification that follows the Foreign Ministry’s earlier establishment of a consultative body with the U.S. Embassy [1].

Frequent Meetings Planned to Synchronize Seoul’s North Korea Strategy Officials agreed to convene regularly, exchanging the latest intelligence on North Korea’s moves and aligning policy viewpoints, a step described as essential for a coherent bilateral approach and complementing the foreign ministry’s U.S.‑embassy dialogue [1].