Unification Minister Chung Dong-young speaks at his alma mater, Jeonju High School, on May 29, during the 14th Peaceful Unification Education Week, in this file photo. (Ministry of Unification) South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Thursday renewed his call for multilateral dialogue to restore inter-Korean trust and foster lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, stressing the need for support from the international community, including the United States.Chung made the call in a written message delivered at a peace forum in Washington. The renewed call comes after he proposed a four-way dialogue involving the two Koreas, the US and China on the denuclearization of the peninsula during his visit to Ulaanbaatar earlier this month."Now is the time to build an institutionalized peace on the Korean Peninsula. It is time to start multilateral dialogue to rebuild trust between the two Koreas and transition to a peace regime on the peninsula," Chung said in the message for the forum hosted by the Korean American Public Action Committee, a nonprofit organization."The peace regime would serve as a foundation for sustainable peace not only on the Korean Peninsula, but also in the entire Northeast Asia. Toward that end, we need support and cooperation from the international community, including the US," he added.Chung highlighted Seoul's "solid" resolve to pursue "peaceful coexistence" on the peninsula, vowing to continue efforts to "turn hostility and confrontation into mutual respect and cooperation.""Over the past year, our government has been consistently pushing for preemptive steps to reduce inter-Korean tension and restore trust," he said.The administration of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has sought to restart diplomacy with North Korea, though it remains uncertain whether Pyongyang would accede to Seoul's overtures for dialogue amid its deepening ties with Moscow and Beijing.In his written message for the same forum, former President Moon Jae-in underscored the importance of addressing security issues on the Korean Peninsula, saying that peace on the peninsula is not merely an issue confined to the two Koreas."It is the touchstone for peace across the Asia-Pacific region and the entire world," he said."I ask that we join forces to establish a model for peace on the Korean Peninsula, a region that currently stands in sharp confrontation with one of the highest densities of military presence in the world."Moon also said dismantling the world's last remaining Cold War structure on the peninsula will be a "historic" achievement that restores global faith in peace.He underlined the role of the US to restore what he described as the "fractured" global security and economic systems, as he commented on a world beset by a plethora of conflicts."This is because the US alone possesses the power to do so," he said, also pointing out that the US cannot be entirely free from responsibility for the current crises facing the world."It is my sincere hope that the US will reflect upon and examine its historical role, taking the lead in demonstrating the leadership necessary to restore the multilateral order and achieve peaceful resolutions through dialogue." (Yonhap)