Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha says key progress will be made in North Korea’s denuclearization, inter-Korean ties and establishing permanent peace if another U.S.-North Korea summit and the North Korean leader’s visit to South Korea take place. 

Kang made the remark during a New Year’s press briefing before local media agencies on Wednesday. 

The minister said 2019 must become a year when the journey toward complete denuclearization and establishment of permanent peace gain further momentum, vowing all-out diplomatic efforts toward such journey. 

She said South Korea and the U.S. are unprecedentedly engaging in close communication on various levels. She said if U.S.-North Korea negotiations take place, active discussions could launch on denuclearization based on strategies that Seoul and Washington have been coordinating. 

Kang added that South Korea will further strengthen its ties with China and Russia through visits by their leaders to Seoul which will hopefully come this year.