First Joint Policy Talks Since Lee Administration Took Office South Korea and the United States held their first coordinated North Korea policy talks on Dec. 16 in Seoul, the first such meeting since the liberal Lee Jae Myung government assumed power in June 2025 [1][2]. The session was led by Jeong Yeon‑doo, vice‑minister for diplomatic strategy and intelligence, and Acting U.S. Ambassador Kevin Kim. Both sides framed the dialogue as a step toward reviving stalled inter‑Korean engagement and reopening channels with Pyongyang.

Broad Agenda Targets Regular Consultation and Pyongyang Re‑engagement Officials described the talks as a wide‑ranging discussion of overall North Korea policy, including concrete measures to bring the North back to the negotiation table [1][2][3]. The meeting follows a joint summit fact‑sheet that commits the allies to close consultations and seeks to institutionalize a regular, working‑level channel without creating a permanent consultative body. The foreign ministries emphasized that the dialogue will remain ongoing to respond swiftly to developments on the peninsula.

Unification Ministry Objects and Plans Separate U.S. Engagement South Korea’s Unification Ministry publicly objected, arguing that the foreign‑ministry‑U.S. dialogue could undermine prospects for restoring inter‑Korean ties [1][2]. The ministry announced it would not attend the talks and will conduct its own separate discussions with Washington when necessary, echoing concerns that the earlier Moon‑era working group had become a monitoring mechanism that hindered peace efforts. This internal dissent highlights divergent views within Seoul on how best to approach Pyongyang.

Denuclearization Remains Core Shared Goal Despite Strategy Omission Acting Ambassador Kevin Kim reaffirmed that “complete denuclearization” of North Korea remains the shared policy objective of the United States and South Korea, even though the term was omitted from the latest U.S. security strategy document [3]. Both governments continue to stress the importance of a regular consultation channel to coordinate sanctions, denuclearization talks, and broader diplomatic initiatives. The consensus underscores a unified stance on the ultimate goal of a nuclear‑free Korean Peninsula.