“The realistic and practical task in Northeast Asia is therefore not disarmament but risk reduction. The longer North Korea’s arsenal remains unaddressed, the louder the voices in Seoul and Tokyo calling for developing a nuclear weapons capability of their own will grow. The real danger in the region is a proliferation cascade, with three or four nuclear-armed states packed into one corner of Asia, with no arms control architecture, no functioning hotlines, and broken channels of communication. Amid this darkening picture, one country – Mongolia – offers a rare opening for dialogue…”
“In July, Lee made a state visit to Mongolia, the first by a sitting Korean president in nearly 15 years. The headlines focused on co-operation around critical minerals and a joint declaration proclaiming a ‘golden age’ in bilateral relations, but there was also a quieter and more consequential agreement between the two presidents to strengthen co-operation on establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula. Lee, in an interview with Mongolia’s state news agency on the eve of the July 9 summit, called Mongolia a ‘trusted partner’ in his effort to normalize relations with North Korea.”
“Mongolia’s credentials to host a Trump-Kim summit are real. It was the second country in the world to recognize North Korea (in 1948), and the two countries’ diplomatic presence in each other’s capitals has never been interrupted, even during the Korean War and the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“As a former socialist state, Mongolia is more familiar than others with Pyongyang’s political and bureaucratic culture. As one of only a few functioning democracies in Eurasia, Mongolia also shares South Korea’s values of liberal democracy and a free market economy.”
“Seoul has begun to make the case for Mongolia’s role out loud. At the June 2026 Ulaanbaatar Dialogue, Minister Chung proposed a four-party dialogue among the two Koreas, the U.S., and China that would expand over time to include Mongolia, Japan, and Russia…”
https://www.asiapacific.ca/publication/why-mongolia-should-host-next-trump-kim-summit