Foreign Minister nominee Cho Hyun has pledged to bolster the alliance with the United States and advance relations with Japan and China, while pushing to resume dialogue with North Korea.

At a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly on Thursday, Cho said a pragmatic foreign policy based on the three pillars of security, economy, and science and technology is urgently needed to protect the nation’s interests in a global environment marked by “unprecedented tectonic shifts.”

Cho promised to enhance the comprehensive strategic alliance with the U.S., closely communicate with the Donald Trump administration to move toward a win-win situation, and solidify trilateral security cooperation with the U.S. and Japan.

The nominee vowed to develop ties with Tokyo while adhering to Seoul’s consistent position on colonial-era issues, and to seek ways to build a strategic cooperative partnership with Beijing while sternly responding to matters concerning sovereignty.

On relations with Russia, Cho pledged to stably manage the situation and lay the groundwork to bolster bilateral cooperation should the right conditions be created.

The nominee also promised efforts to make substantial progress in achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula and resolving the North’s nuclear issue by way of a step-by-step, pragmatic approach toward denuclearization and the establishment of a peace regime.