South Korea urges EU to mediate talks with North Korea

South Korea has called on the European Union to play a mediating role in renewed dialogue with North Korea, as Seoul seeks to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Speaking on Wednesday, April 1, South Korea’s Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young urged the EU to consider facilitating a “2+1” political dialogue format, in which the bloc would act as a mediator between South and North Korea.

According to Yonhap, Chung made the proposal during a meeting in Seoul with a visiting delegation from the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, led by its chair David McAllister.

“I would appreciate it if the EU would consider facilitating a ‘two plus one’ dialogue, with the EU acting as mediator between South and North Korea,” Chung said.

He described inter-Korean relations as a “swamp of distrust and hostility,” despite both sides expressing a desire for peace. Chung added that the EU’s experience in overcoming long-standing conflicts and advancing regional integration makes it an “optimal mediator” for such talks.

The proposal comes as President Lee Jae-myung’s administration pushes to restart dialogue with Pyongyang in an effort to reduce military tensions and build lasting peace, even as North Korea continues its military build-up and maintains a confrontational stance.

By Tamilla Hasanova