Unification adviser hopes North, U.S. will resume dialogue by end of year

Kang Chang-il, the vice chair of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council (PUAC), said on Wednesday that he hopes Washington and Pyongyang resume dialogue as early as the end of the year, following the U.S. midterm elections in November.

"Washington would first need to make a gesture of goodwill, and Pyongyang would then decide whether to accept or not," Kang said at his first press conference since his inauguration.

While Kang, a four-term lawmaker and former ambassador to Japan from 2021 to 2022, did not elaborate on what such a gesture might look like, he was not pessimistic.

"I believe that North Korea would accept a sincere proposal."

When pressed on what "sincere" options could be acceptable to North Korea in exchange for movement on nuclear issues, he cited sanctions relief and a peace treaty as possible examples.

Kang was appointed to the post in April following the death of his predecessor and former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan.

The PUAC is a constitutional presidential advisory body tasked with promoting peaceful unification through policy consultation, public consensus building and international outreach. President Lee Jae Myung serves as its chair.

Yonhap