South Korea’s ambassador to the United States says improving inter-Korean relations and denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula cannot always proceed mechanically at the same speed.

Ambassador Cho Yoon-je told a Washington forum Seoul believes progress in South-North ties must generally proceed in line with denuclearization efforts.

However, he said if inter-Korean relations move ahead of U.S.-North Korea negotiations, South Korea might be able to increase its leverage to act as a facilitator in talks between Pyongyang and Washington. 

Cho repeated several times that inter-Korean cooperation projects will be pursued within the framework of international sanctions.