Former President Moon Jae-in: Trump's Willingness to Talk with North Korea Is Fortunate, Kim Jong Un Must Respond

Regarding North Korea-U.S. dialogue, former President Moon Jae-in said, "I consider it truly fortunate that U.S. President Trump has shown a proactive willingness to create an opportunity for dialogue."

Former President Moon made the statement during a commemorative speech at a ceremony marking the 8th anniversary of the Sept. 19 Pyongyang Joint Declaration and inter-Korean joint declaration, held today (September 18) at the National Assembly, saying, "President Trump clearly expressed his intention to downscale South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises to pursue dialogue with North Korea."

Former President Moon said, "In the harsh situation currently surrounding the Korean Peninsula, the only key to unraveling the tangled knot is dialogue," urging, "I call on North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un to respond and come to the table of dialogue as soon as possible."

He added, "If North Korea and the United States sit down together again, taking lessons from past failure in Hanoi, they will certainly be able to achieve better results and fruit," emphasizing, "I earnestly hope that North Korea-U.S. dialogue will resume swiftly so that the stopped clock of peace on the Korean Peninsula will tick vigorously once again."

Former President Moon stressed, "North Korea must also actively step forward in inter-Korean dialogue," noting, "North Korea-U.S. dialogue and inter-Korean dialogue are not in a relationship where one replaces the other, but rather in a virtuous cycle where they pull each other forward and inject momentum."

Former President Moon stated, "The most urgent task facing us right now is the restoration of the Sept. 19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement," adding, "We must reconnect the severed military communication lines and revive measures to prevent accidental clashes to establish a firmer crisis management system."

Regarding foreign relations, former President Moon said, "We must be able to respond with dignity to unilateral and unjust external demands that the public cannot accept," requesting, "I ask the people to gather their strength so that the government can carry out confident diplomacy."

His remarks are interpreted as keeping in mind the situation where President Trump has been requesting the South Korean government to deploy troops to the Strait of Hormuz.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.