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South Korean President Moon Jae-in in a Blue House meeting with senior secretaries and aides on Sept. 16. (Blue House photo pool)
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S. Korean president vows to take on any available role to usher in “peace economy”
On Sept. 16, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said that working-level talks between North Korea and the US would soon begin. Moon added that the South Korean government would take on any available role to usher in a future of mutual prosperity through the “peace economy” and the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula. After making these remarks during a meeting of his senior secretaries and aides at the Blue House on Monday, Moon reiterated that “our future lies in a new order of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.” “Peace on the Korean Peninsula is a task not only for us but for the whole world — the task of dismantling the last vestiges of the Cold War on this planet. My steadfast trust in the leaders of North Korea and the US and our commitment to peace gives us the strength to move forward with the Korean Peninsula Peace Process,” Moon said. Moon will be visiting New York on Sept. 22-26 to attend the UN General Assembly and to hold a summit with US President Donald Trump. “In my summit with President Trump, I will provide enthusiastic support and assistance for North Korea-US dialogue,” Moon said. Moon added that the summit would be “an opportunity to share candid opinions and brainstorm [with Trump] about ways to take the South Korea-US relationship to the next level, in a future-oriented direction, based on a strong alliance.” These remarks were likely prompted by concerns about a rift between the two countries as South Korea winds down its intelligence-sharing agreement with Japan, known as the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). In regard to Japan’s economic retribution, Moon said that “the government’s all-out response and the capacity of a unified public have combined over the past two months to get meaningful results. We will continue to build strength and gain speed so that we can turn this into an opportunity to make our economy strong.” By Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporter Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
