Posted on : Apr.2,2019 16:57 KST

South Korean President Moon Jae-in presides over a meeting with his senior secretaries and aides at the Blue House on Apr. 1. (Blue House photo pool)

Says LKP is being irresponsible in its efforts to block peace process

On Apr. 1, with just 10 days remaining before his summit with US President Donald Trump, South Korean President Moon Jae-in declared his strong determination to facilitate progress in North Korea-US denuclearization talks. “We will not return to the past, nor could we. We will move forward together, breaking through any obstacles in the road ahead and blazing a new trail when the road ends,” he said.

“My visit to the US [on Apr. 10-11] has been made possible by South Korean and US efforts to restore the momentum for dialogue as soon as possible,” Moon said while presiding over a meeting with his senior secretaries and aides at the Blue House on Monday.

On Apr. 11, Moon will be meeting Trump in Washington, DC, for their seventh summit. “The lack of an agreement in the second North Korea-US summit created temporary difficulties in advancing the peace process on the Korean Peninsula, but it also made clear that North Korea, South Korea and the US want to go back to the past. In particular, North Korea and the US are demonstrating their commitment to sustaining dialogue by controlling the situation to prevent tensions from rising as they have before,” Moon said.

“The South Korea-US summit is the result of the South Korean government’s consistent goal of achieving success in the Korean Peninsula peace process and Trump’s firm commitment to continuing dialogue until a deal is reached in the North Korea-US negotiations. I hope that the North will also respond positively to the efforts by South Korea and the US.”

Moon also said that South Korean conservatives, including members of the Liberty Korea Party (LKP), were being “irresponsible” in their recent claims that cooperation between South Korea and the US is breaking down and their denial of the success of the Korean Peninsula peace process. “There have been attempts in some quarters to find cracks in our cooperation with the US as allies and to reverse our progress toward peace on the Korean Peninsula. Unhappiness with the very attempt to engage in dialogue with North Korea and efforts to go back to the conflict and confrontation of the past is not beneficial either for the national interest or for the future of the Korean Peninsula,” Moon said.

“If dialogue ends in failure now, the situation will get even worse. South Korea and the US are maintaining close communication and cooperation as is appropriate for our alliance, which has lasted for more than 60 years, and fully share the goals of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the construction of a permanent peace regime.”

During this meeting, Moon didn’t make any reference to recent turmoil at the Blue House, including the resignation of Blue House Spokesperson Kim Eui-kyum, the government’s retraction of its nomination of Cho Dong-ho to head the Ministry of Science and ICT, and the decision by Choi Jeong-ho not to pursue his nomination to lead the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

By Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporter

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]

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