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South Korean President Moon Jae-in goes over his speech material with Blue House National Security Office Director Chung Eui-yong during the Asia-Europe Meeting in Brussels, Belgium, on Oct. 19. (provided by the Blue House)
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Says South Korea and US “ultimately walking the same path”
North Korea and the US are “talking about three or four places” as possible venues for a second summit, a senior Blue House official said on Oct. 21. The official, who accompanied South Korean President Moon Jae-in on his recent European tour, shared the remarks with reporters soon after their return. “[US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo] reached a substantial agreement [with the North] during his fourth North Korea, so the time has come to meet,” the official said. While visiting Mexico City on Oct. 19, Pompeo said, “I'm very hopeful we'll have senior leader meetings here in the next week and a half or so between myself and my [North Korean] counterpart.” The same official also responded to claims from some corners that President Moon could trouble the US with remarks during his European tour in which he publicly mentioned the need to reduce US sanctions against the North as it achieves substantive denuclearization. “On the contrary, we are helping the US out,” the official said. “That’s not what the South Korea-US alliance is about,” the official continued. “There may be different views even within the US, and while it may be a bit different [from South Korea] in procedural terms, our direction and goals are the same, so the US trusts us.” “The way we get there may be a bit different, but we are ultimately walking the same path,” the official said. When asked when the loosening of sanctions might occur, the official replied, “We’ll have to wait and see.” The official also noted the recent rapid progress and development in inter-Korean relations. “The rate of progression [in inter-Korean relations] has truly been tremendous. Honestly, it’s almost strange how quickly it’s progressed,” the official said. “I believe a South Korea visit by Chairman Kim Jong-un within the year is still a possibility,” the official continued. The official also said President Moon holds a far more positive and optimistic view of the recent situation than his advisors. “President Moon seems confident and committed that we are moving the right direction in the broad scheme of things [in terms of the Korean Peninsula situation], even if it takes some time,” the official said. “He’s optimistic enough that when his advisors express concern, he’s the one telling them, ‘Don’t worry.’” At the same time, the official relayed President Moon’s concerns about reporting on the activities of Blue House National Security Office Director Chung Eui-yong due to the nature of inter-Korean relations. “He said words to the effect that he would like the media’s support in seeing to it that people are not notified when the National Security Office director travels outside,” the official said. “It appears that he said that because of the special nature of inter-Korean relations,” the official added. Meanwhile, Chung was given a scrap of clothing worn by Mother Teresa by Father Han Hyun-taek, who served as interpreter for an Oct. 18 meeting with President Moon and Pope Francis. “In presenting him with the clothing scrap, Father Han told him, ‘Good things will happen if you carry this around with you,’” the official said. The official also reported that President Moon’s “stock” had risen enough that he received meeting requests from 15 heads of state during the ASEM Summit in Belgium. “President Moon was very popular,” said another Blue House official. “Among [the heads of state], we opted to meet with the UK and Germany,” the official added. By Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporter Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
