South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has called for the creation of conditions that could enable the United States and North Korea to resume diplomatic dialogue, saying efforts should focus on building trust and establishing a lasting peace framework on the Korean Peninsula.

Speaking at a meeting focused on peace on the Korean Peninsula, Lee said Seoul should work to create an environment conducive to constructive discussions between Washington and Pyongyang. He also called for moving beyond the current armistice arrangement toward a peace system based on cooperation and prosperity.

The two Koreas technically remain at war because their 1950–1953 conflict ended with an armistice rather than a formal peace treaty. Lee has made greater engagement with North Korea a central part of his policy, despite Pyongyang’s decision to describe South Korea as a hostile state and shut down many communication channels.

Signs of possible diplomatic opening

Lee’s comments come amid indications that Washington and Pyongyang could be moving toward renewed engagement. South Korean lawmakers said Tuesday that the country’s National Intelligence Service had assessed that both the United States and North Korea were showing signs of being open to resuming dialogue, although no direct contacts between the two sides have been publicly confirmed.

U.S. President Donald Trump has also signalled interest in meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un again. Trump and Kim held three meetings between 2018 and 2019, but negotiations collapsed without an agreement on North Korea’s nuclear programme.

Trump recently ordered a reduction in the scale of major U.S.-South Korean military exercises, a move viewed as potentially creating additional diplomatic space. North Korea, however, continues to accuse Washington of maintaining a hostile policy and has pledged to strengthen its nuclear capabilities.

Seoul seeks greater role in peace process

Lee also reiterated his intention for South Korea to assume greater responsibility for its own defence and security affairs, including pursuing the transfer of wartime operational control from the United States before the end of his presidential term in 2030.

Seoul has said renewed diplomacy should produce substantive progress on North Korea’s nuclear issue while maintaining South Korea’s security readiness. The challenge remains significant, as Pyongyang continues to view U.S.-South Korean military cooperation and Washington’s demands concerning denuclearisation as hostile.

For now, there is no confirmed date for renewed U.S.-North Korea negotiations, but Seoul’s latest appeal, Trump’s stated interest in another meeting with Kim and reported intelligence assessments have created cautious expectations that diplomacy could return to the Korean Peninsula.

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