The South Korean government’s nominee for the position of unification minister on Tuesday told lawmakers he would, if confirmed, pursue “creative” ways to bring Pyongyang and Washington back to negotiating table.

Speaking at a hearing of the South Korean National Assembly following his nomination to the post earlier in the month, Kim Yeon-chul promised to “make substantive progress in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.”

“I will seek creative solutions so that both North Korea and the U.S. can meet before long and reach an agreement,” Kim, who previously served as president of the government-funded Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU),