South Korean President Lee Jae Myung affirmed on Friday that United States President Donald Trump is actively seeking renewed diplomatic talks with Pyongyang, according to statements delivered during a televised press conference in Seoul. Citing reports by domestic news agency Yonhap, the president explained that while negotiations remain delicate, establishing direct communication between Washington and North Korea is feasible. During the address, Lee also confirmed that South Korea will refuse any combat deployments to the Strait of Hormuz amid mounting external pressure.
Direct engagement remains more viable than inter-Korean meetings.
Seoul continues conducting preliminary coordination work aimed at easing diplomatic channels between the United States and North Korean leadership. Donald Trump had previously announced intentions to convene with Kim Jong Un before the year concludes, stressing the strategic necessity of maintaining bilateral communication. Trump estimated that Pyongyang possesses 57 potent nuclear warheads, contrasting with Seoul intelligence assessments placing the stockpile between 80 and 120 devices. North Korean authorities, having solidified defense and economic arrangements with Moscow over recent years, have not issued an official response to the diplomatic overtures.
Relations across the demilitarized zone have deteriorated sharply following the breakdown of high-level talks in Hanoi in early 2019. Legal authorities in Seoul intensified political friction on Thursday by ordering North Korea to pay roughly 32.5 million dollars in damages for demolishing the joint liaison office in Kaesong six years prior. Seeking wider diplomatic leverage, Seoul convened its first multilateral summit with five Central Asian republics on Wednesday, pursuing expanded commerce with nations historically aligned with Russia.
Addressing military policy, President Lee reiterated three consecutive times that South Korean forces will not be deployed to Middle Eastern waters for armed operations. The declaration follows weeks of sustained public demonstrations across South Korean cities condemning potential involvement in maritime hostilities. The administration maintained that domestic law and national security priorities prevent entanglement in foreign conflicts, despite persistent requests from Western allies for active naval deployments.
Naval operations in the Persian Gulf region will remain strictly limited to protecting South Korean commercial tankers and stabilizing national energy transport corridors. The government confirmed that protecting civilian supply chains without entering active combat remains Seoul`s permanent strategic policy.
