Mongolia Holds Diplomatic Ties With Both Koreas, Longstanding Bond With the North
A 2018 Summit Contender and Host of the Ulaanbaatar Dialogue
President Lee's State Visit Underscored the Country's Role on the Peninsula
Moon Cast in a Former-Leader Diplomacy Role, Echoing Carter in 1994
Aligning With Lee's Dialogue Push, Drawing Attention as an Unofficial Bridge

Former President Moon Jae-in will visit Mongolia as early as next week. With U.S. President Donald Trump raising the possibility of pursuing a summit with North Korea around the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' meeting set for November in Shenzhen, China, attention is turning to the trip by Moon, who has experience in both inter-Korean and U.S.-North Korea summit diplomacy. Mongolia was among the candidate sites for the 2018 U.S.-North Korea summit.

According to political sources on the 20th, Moon is arranging a visit to Mongolia as early as next week. The specific purpose of the trip and whom he will meet have not been disclosed. Still, given that Moon held three inter-Korean summits with the North Korean leader during his term and coordinated directly with Trump on the North's nuclear program, attention is focused on the possibility that his experience and personal networks could be tapped as the situation on the Korean Peninsula shifts.

Some observers expect a diplomatic role for a former head of state, much as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter visited Pyongyang in 1994, when the North Korean nuclear crisis was at its peak, and helped open the way to U.S.-North Korea talks.

Moon's trip draws added interest as Trump has repeatedly signaled his willingness to resume dialogue with the North Korean leader. With the United States sending conciliatory messages toward the North, including adjustments to the scale of the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises, there is growing talk that the situation on the peninsula could move back toward dialogue.

Mongolia, in particular, maintains diplomatic relations with both Koreas and has kept a longstanding friendly relationship with North Korea. Ahead of last year's APEC leaders' meeting in Gyeongju, when the prospect of a U.S.-North Korea summit was raised, former Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, who was then visiting South Korea, said in a broadcast interview that "if a U.S.-North Korea summit is held, Ulaanbaatar could be the best location."

Mongolia has also positioned itself as a mediator and dialogue platform on Korean Peninsula issues by hosting the Ulaanbaatar Dialogue, a forum discussing the North Korean nuclear program and Northeast Asian security matters, since 2014. It was against this backdrop that Ulaanbaatar was floated as a candidate site for the 2018 U.S.-North Korea summit.

In fact, Mongolia's role as a bridge between the two Koreas also drew attention during President Lee Jae-myung's visit to the country about a month ago. Given that Lee has stressed the need to ease tensions on the peninsula and resume inter-Korean dialogue, expectations were raised that Mongolia — which maintains traditional ties with the North while expanding cooperation with the South — could become a channel for delivering messages to the North going forward.

Former President Moon Jae-in meets with the Democratic Party leadership at his private residence in Pyeongsan Village, Habuk-myeon, Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, on Jan. 2, 2023. Yonhap News

In diplomatic circles, some analysts say that in such circumstances the role of unofficial channels — used to gauge the other side's intentions and exchange messages ahead of formal negotiations — could become more important. Moon not only spoke directly with the North Korean leader but also shuttled between Trump and the North Korean leader during the U.S.-North Korea summit diplomacy of 2018 and 2019, coordinating both sides' positions.

The view is gaining traction that, drawing on this experience, Moon could directly confirm the intentions of North Korea's top leader through Mongolia — a third country with wide room to maneuver — and relay them to the U.S. side, helping turn a standoff back toward dialogue.

Of course, since the specific purpose, schedule and interlocutors of Moon's Mongolia trip have not been disclosed, it would be premature to link it directly to the Lee Jae-myung government's efforts on a special envoy to the North or to mediation between the United States and North Korea.

Still, the assessment is that Moon's visit to Mongolia is notable in that it comes at a time when, with official dialogue between the United States and North Korea cut off, Trump is openly floating the possibility of a meeting with the North Korean leader. The interpretation is that if a former head of state or a third country is used to probe the other side's intentions and deliver messages before official diplomatic channels move, it could help raise the prospects of dialogue down the road.

Published Date:2026-08-20