South Korea taps Mongolia for North Korea dialogue

South Korea’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young — head of the ministry overseeing inter-Korean relations — held talks with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh on advancing dialogue on the Korean Peninsula, after delivering a speech at the 11th Ulaanbaatar Dialogue forum in the Mongolian capital, the ministry said in a statement.

At the meeting, Chung highlighted Mongolia’s unique position as a country maintaining friendly ties with both Koreas. With this in mind, the minister asked the Mongolian side to continue encouraging North Korea to return to the Ulaanbaatar Dialogue and to jointly explore opportunities for trilateral cooperation between the two Koreas and Mongolia.

In turn, President Khurelsukh thanked Chung for his participation in the forum and raising its profile, as he was the first foreign ministerial-level official to attend. He also assessed current South Korea-Mongolia ties as entering a «golden age» and expressed firm support for the peaceful coexistence policy on the peninsula.

Mongolian Foreign Minister Batmunkh Battsetseg expressed readiness to cooperate and highlighted points of convergence with the policy. The Mongolian side also raised the issue of the visa regime, which allows Korean nationals to enter Mongolia freely, while Mongolian citizens face strict visa procedures to visit South Korea, as annual travel between the two countries exceeds 300,000.

Ulaanbaatar Dialogue is a Mongolian forum meant to discuss and promote security and peace cooperation in Northeast Asia. The latest 11th Ulaanbaatar Dialogue was held on June 4-5 with participants from more than 20 countries and international organizations, including the United Nations.

In May, it emerged that North Korea had revised its constitution to include a new definition of its territorial boundaries while removing all language related to reunification with South Korea.