Moon says N. Korean leader Kim committed to complete denuclearization
- 6 years ago
President Moon held a press conference outlining the details of his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Let's go live to our chief Blue House correspondent Moon Connyoung.
So, it was last night... a little past seven on a Saturday evening here in Seoul that we learned the leaders of South and North Korea had met earlier in the afternoon on the northern side of the Demilitarized Zone - that is the border that separates the two Koreas - for about two hours.
Of course, it came as a huge surprise to us all here especially given that just 36 hours prior to that U.S. President Donald Trump had cancelled the North Korea, U.S. summit and there was deep disappointment in South Korea over the fact that the summit was cancelled.
Particularly for South Korean President Moon who's been a huge proponent of that summit; he's been pushing it harder than just about anybody else and yet since then there's clearly been a lot of active diplomacy behind the scenes... and the fact that Kim was willing to travel south from Pyongyang to the DMZ for the talks already spoke volumes of how committed the North Korean leader was to the latest denuclearization and peace initiative.
Today, South Korean President Moon Jae-in made crystal clear for us all.
"As a continuation to the Panmunjom Declaration, Chairman Kim once again affirmed his commitment for denuclearization, emphasized that he will clear the history of war and confrontation and cooperate for peace and prosperity through a successful North Korea-U.S summit."
.
Now, those remarks came as President Moon delivered his first public comments since a surprise meeting with the North Korean leader on Saturday.
The South Korean president added what's unclear to the North Korean leader is not the will for denuclearization, but the concern that if North Korea denuclearizes, whether the U.S. can end hostile relations and guarantee the security of the Kim regime.
On the other hand, what's unclear to the U.S. leader is not the will for security guarantee or economic cooperation but whether the North can fulfill denuclearization.
So, it's absolutely vital that the two talk... and working level officials smooth out the agenda before the June 12th summit in Singapore.
Mr. Moon said that seems to be underway already and goinng smoothly.
Do we know how the secret meeting was put together last minute?
Well, the South Korean president said that it was Friday afternoon that the North Korean side via the two Koreas' chief intelligence line relayed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's proposal for a face-to-face meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in... which President Moon gladly took.
This kind of friend-like meeting, President Moon said, is something he looks forward to having more often in the future.
Let's go live to our chief Blue House correspondent Moon Connyoung.
So, it was last night... a little past seven on a Saturday evening here in Seoul that we learned the leaders of South and North Korea had met earlier in the afternoon on the northern side of the Demilitarized Zone - that is the border that separates the two Koreas - for about two hours.
Of course, it came as a huge surprise to us all here especially given that just 36 hours prior to that U.S. President Donald Trump had cancelled the North Korea, U.S. summit and there was deep disappointment in South Korea over the fact that the summit was cancelled.
Particularly for South Korean President Moon who's been a huge proponent of that summit; he's been pushing it harder than just about anybody else and yet since then there's clearly been a lot of active diplomacy behind the scenes... and the fact that Kim was willing to travel south from Pyongyang to the DMZ for the talks already spoke volumes of how committed the North Korean leader was to the latest denuclearization and peace initiative.
Today, South Korean President Moon Jae-in made crystal clear for us all.
"As a continuation to the Panmunjom Declaration, Chairman Kim once again affirmed his commitment for denuclearization, emphasized that he will clear the history of war and confrontation and cooperate for peace and prosperity through a successful North Korea-U.S summit."
.
Now, those remarks came as President Moon delivered his first public comments since a surprise meeting with the North Korean leader on Saturday.
The South Korean president added what's unclear to the North Korean leader is not the will for denuclearization, but the concern that if North Korea denuclearizes, whether the U.S. can end hostile relations and guarantee the security of the Kim regime.
On the other hand, what's unclear to the U.S. leader is not the will for security guarantee or economic cooperation but whether the North can fulfill denuclearization.
So, it's absolutely vital that the two talk... and working level officials smooth out the agenda before the June 12th summit in Singapore.
Mr. Moon said that seems to be underway already and goinng smoothly.
Do we know how the secret meeting was put together last minute?
Well, the South Korean president said that it was Friday afternoon that the North Korean side via the two Koreas' chief intelligence line relayed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's proposal for a face-to-face meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in... which President Moon gladly took.
This kind of friend-like meeting, President Moon said, is something he looks forward to having more often in the future.