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Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul during answers questions from lawmakers during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on Nov. 7. (Yonhap News)

South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul is visiting the US for the first time since his appointment. During his trip, he plans to meet with leading figures in the US government and Congress to discuss major issues such as establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula, the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and inter-Korean relations.

Kim’s visit is taking place at a delicate time, when tensions are rising on the Korean Peninsula as North Korea’s unilaterally imposed end-of-the-year deadline for the denuclearization talks approaches. Furthermore, a planned South Korea-US summit was stymied by the cancellation of the APEC summit in Chile. With the Mt. Kumgang tourism project in jeopardy, the future of that project is expected to be the hottest topic on the agenda of Kim’s meetings.

Kim will be visiting Washington and Los Angeles from Nov. 17 to 22 for an itinerary that includes delivering a keynote address at the Korea Global Forum, the Unification Ministry announced on Nov. 12. Kim is expected to meet with US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun, the US’ chief envoy to working-level negotiations with the North. Kim reportedly may also meet with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo if their schedules permit.

During a public lecture titled “The Korean Peninsula: Peace and the Economy” at the University of Southern California, in Log Angeles, on Nov. 21, Kim will be unveiling the Moon administration’s vision for peace on the Korean Peninsula. The Unification Ministry expressed its hope that Kim’s visit to the US would be “an opportunity for sharing opinions between our two countries about achieving the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, establishing a lasting peace there, and creating a virtuous cycle in inter-Korean relations and North Korea relations.”

The 2019 Korea Global Forum, which is taking place at the US Institute of Peace (USIP) on Nov. 20, is being organized by the Unification Ministry and jointly overseen by the USIP and the Sejong Institute.

By Lee Je-hun, senior staff writer

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]

Caption: Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul during answers questions from lawmakers during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on Nov. 7. (Yonhap News)