 |
|
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump
|
Reportedly emphasizes importance of peace via denuclearization
During a telephone call with US President Donald Trump on Sept. 4, one day before a South Korean special delegation was set to visit North Korea, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said that “improving inter-Korean relations and easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula will contribute to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of a lasting peace regime.” “We’re planning to send a special delegation to North Korea to deliberate preparations for holding the inter-Korean summit and formulate plans for achieving permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula through complete denuclearization. This is an important time for establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula, and this is moving in step with complete denuclearization,” Moon was quoted as saying by Blue House spokesperson Kim Eui-kyum. Trump was quoted as saying that he sincerely hopes that the special delegation will get good results and that the inter-Korean summit in September will not only help improve inter-Korean relations but also contribute to the implementation of the agreements reached during the North Korea-US summit in Singapore on June 12 and subsequent dialogue. The two leaders also agreed to consider the option of meeting in person during the UN General Assembly in late September to discuss strategies on the Korean Peninsula issue and methods of cooperation. The telephone call on Tuesday began at 9 pm and lasted for about 50 minutes. The two leaders’ phone call was their first in two and a half months, since the day of the North Korea-US summit in Singapore on June 12. Prior to the phone call, Moon convened a meeting that afternoon that was attended by ministers in the areas of foreign policy and security as well as the full complement of the special delegation and did a final review of the special delegation’s mission. During a press conference, Chung Eui-yong, Director of the Blue House National Security Office and head of the special delegation to North Korea, said that “the topics that the special delegation will deliberate during its trip to North Korea will be developing inter-Korean relations and establishing peace and achieving the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” More specifically, Chung said, the special delegation will be discussing the agenda and specific timing of the inter-Korean summit that the two sides have already agreed to hold in Pyongyang during September, methods of developing inter-Korean relations through implementing the Apr. 27 Panmunjom Declaration and achieving permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula through complete denuclearization. “I’ll be bringing a personal letter from President Moon,” Chung added. By Kim Bo-hyeop and Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporters Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
