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US special representative for North Korea Sung Kim and South Korea’s nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk pose for a photo on Monday before their meeting at a hotel in Seoul. (Yonhap News)

US special representative for North Korea Sung Kim said Monday that joint South Korea-US military exercises were “purely defensive” and that the US “does not have hostile intent” toward North Korea.

Kim’s remarks came while he was meeting with reporters after discussions at a hotel in Seoul that morning with Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Noh Kyu-duk as the two sides’ senior representatives on the North Korean nuclear issue.

“The ongoing combined military exercises are longstanding, routine, and purely defensive in nature and support the security of both our countries,” he said.

His remarks were read as a gesture toward objections from Pyongyang, including statements by Workers’ Party of Korea Central Committee Deputy Director Kim Yo-jong denouncing the 21-2 Combined Command Post Training that began on Aug. 16.

On Aug. 10, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price also described the exercises as “purely defensive in nature,” adding that US had “long maintained” that it “harbors no hostile intent towards the DPRK.”

Sung Kim reaffirmed that he was “ready to meet with my North Korean counterparts anywhere at any time.” He reiterated the importance of the South Korea-US alliance, quoting US President Joe Biden as saying that the US pledge to defend South Korea was “sacred.”

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Noh said he and Kim had “discussed the different approaches needed to involve North Korea in making progress with the Korean Peninsula peace process.”

“South Korea and the US agreed to continue closely observing developments with the restoration of inter-Korean communication lines and the joint South Korea-US military exercises, managing the Korean Peninsula situation on a stable footing as we work to enable dialogue to quickly resume,” he added.

He went on to say the two sides had held discussions in particular on “ideas for humanitarian cooperation with North Korea in possible areas such as public health, infectious disease prevention, potable water, and hygiene,” along with “plans for humanitarian assistance to North Korea by means of international organizations and NGOs.”

The two officials appear to have considered support measures that could be implemented if North Korea agrees to them, at a time when the North is facing a growing need for humanitarian assistance since closing its borders to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Kim similarly noted that the two of them had “discussed possible humanitarian assistance to the DPRK.”

“I reaffirmed US support for inter-Korean dialogue and engagement as stipulated by the joint statement between our two leaders in May, and will continue to lend our support to inter-Korean humanitarian cooperation projects,” he added.

After the South Korea-US discussions, Kim met with Igor Morgulov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister in charge of Asia-Pacific affairs, for their first discussions as the US and Russia’s respective senior representatives on the North Korean nuclear issue.

Kim also met that afternoon for senior-level discussions with South Korean Vice Minister of Unification Choi Young-joon. In a press release, the Ministry of Unification (MOU) said the two had “exchanged views on the recent Korean Peninsula situation and discussed ideas for South Korea-US cooperation in connection with North Korea policy.”

Choi said that humanitarian cooperation with the North in areas such as health needed to be quickly resumed as the pandemic continues.

Kim noted the importance of close bilateral coordination and shared the US’ agreement on the importance of humanitarianism and inter-Korean cooperation, the MOU said.

By Kim Ji-eun, staff reporter

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