South Korea backs Trump’s push for talks as North Korea fortifies border

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s military will support President Donald Trump’s efforts to restart talks with North Korea even as Pyongyang carries out an “unprecedented” buildup along the inter-Korean border, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said this week.

North Korea has strengthened its side of the border with additional mines and barbed-wire fences since 2024, Ahn said Tuesday during the Seoul Defense Dialogue.

“I strongly hope that U.S.-North Korea talks between President Trump and Kim Jong Un can take place despite many difficulties,” he said.

“This is not just about sides; it is about peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Ahn added, saying renewed dialogue would have “significant” implications for the international community.

The annual Seoul Defense Dialogue, held Monday through Wednesday at the Grand Lotte Seoul hotel, brought together roughly 1,200 military personnel and defense experts.

Ahn’s remarks followed Trump’s statement at the White House last month that Kim had responded to his outreach and that he planned to meet the North Korean leader this year.

The Wall Street Journal reported Aug. 18 that Trump was seeking a face-to-face meeting with Kim during an anticipated trip to China in November for APEC, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

Trump also ordered a significant reduction last month in the U.S. military’s participation in Ulchi Freedom Shield, a major annual exercise with South Korea, citing its cost and his relationship with Kim.

In an Aug. 16 Truth Social post, Trump described such exercises as a “totally inappropriate and hostile” signal toward North Korea.

Ahn on Tuesday echoed language used by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during his August 2025 meeting with Trump, saying Seoul’s military would serve as a “pacemaker” supporting Trump’s role as a “peacemaker.”

But Ahn said talks between Washington and Pyongyang would not be enough and emphasized the need to restore dialogue between the two Koreas.

Seoul has taken steps aimed at easing tensions, including ending propaganda broadcasts from loudspeakers along the border, Ahn said. Lee suspended the broadcasts in June 2025 in an effort to rebuild trust with the North.

South Korea is starting with small measures in hopes that the North will eventually return to negotiations, Ahn said.

North Korea, however, has given no public indication that it is prepared to resume talks with either Seoul or Washington. It has instead continued to distance itself politically and physically from the South.

North Korea removed references to “peaceful unification” with the South from the charter of its ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, according to a Thursday report by Seoul’s Institute for National Security Strategy.