The unification minister has called for close cooperation with the United States to help restart stalled dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.

The Ministry of Unification said Tuesday that Minister Chung Dong-young made the appeal during a meeting with chargé d’affaires Kevin Kim, the acting U.S. ambassador to South Korea, at the government complex in Seoul.

Chung said the recent Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju had opened a “window of opportunity” for renewed talks between North Korea and the U.S.

The minister emphasized that the coming months will be critical, citing the U.S.-China summit scheduled for April next year, and said Seoul would step up its role as a “pacemaker” to facilitate a potential North Korea-U.S. summit.

Chung also outlined the government’s North Korea and unification policy, which aims to restore inter-Korean relations and promote peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula.

The ministry said both sides agreed to maintain close communication and cooperation based on a strong alliance to ensure lasting peace on the peninsula.

The U.S. Embassy in Seoul later said in a social media post that Kim and Chung discussed shared priorities and underscored the importance of strong cooperation on key alliance issues, but made no mention of North Korea-U.S. dialogue.