The unification minister called on Seoul to help Washington restart stalled dialogue with Pyongyang.

According to the Ministry of Unification, Minister Chung Dong-young made the appeal on Tuesday afternoon during a meeting with chargé d’affaires Kevin Kim at the government complex in Seoul.

Chung said the recent Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju had opened a “window of opportunity” for renewed talks between North Korea and the U.S.

The minister emphasized that the coming months will be critical, citing the U.S.-China summit scheduled for April of next year, and said the South would step up its role as a “pacemaker” to facilitate a potential North Korea-U.S. summit.

Chung also outlined the government’s North Korea and unification policy, which aims to restore inter-Korean relations and promote peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula.

The ministry said both sides agreed to maintain close communication and cooperation, grounded in their strong alliance, to ensure lasting peace.

The U.S. embassy in Seoul later said in a social media post that Kim and Chung had discussed shared priorities and underscored the importance of cooperation, but made no mention of North Korea-U.S. dialogue.