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South Korean President Moon Jae-in addresses the Swedish parliament in Stockholm on the necessity of inter-Korean peace on June 14. (Yonhap News)
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S. Korean president emphasizes commitment of Trump and Kim to resuming talks
“The momentum for dialogue is being maintained because backroom dialogue is continuing between North Korea and the US, and between South Korea and North Korea. I hope that it won’t take too long for talks between the respective parties to resume,” Moon reiterated during his state visit to Sweden on June 14. “While it might appear that dialogue is at a standstill because the second North Korea-US summit in Hanoi ended without an agreement, US President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un are still committed to dialogue and continue to express trust in each other,” Moon said in a Q&A session following his speech to the Swedish parliament on Friday. “Deciding the timing [of dialogue] ultimately depends on when Kim responds,” Moon added. This echoed remarks that Moon had made in Oslo, Norway. “I’m not sure whether it’s possible to hold an inter-Korean summit in June. But considering that we’ve arranged a summit before after a very short period of contact and consultation, it’s not physically impossible,” Moon said. Moon also said that patience will be required to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula and to achieve its complete denuclearization. “Even if dialogue resumes, it would be rash to assume that peace and the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula will be achieved immediately. It could take a long time, and I think that perseverance in dialogue is necessary. We need to use such dialogue to further build trust in each other.” By Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporter Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
