Moon will tackle N. Korea issue at G20
Moon to discuss NK with Abe, Trump, and Xi in Germany
By Kim Rahn
President Moon Jae-in will seek reinforced cooperation with the international community in resolving the issue of North Korea’s nuclear program during his visit to Germany for the G20 summit, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday, after the North allegedly test-fired an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM).
In the G20 summit to be held in Hamburg July 7 and 8, Moon will have a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, July 7, and a trilateral dinner with Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump, July 6. He is also seeking to have a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
It will be his first meetings with the Japanese and Chinese leaders since his May 10 inauguration.
Moon is expected to explain to Xi, Abe and other heads of states his stance over North Korea, with which he seeks to reopen dialogue if the conditions are right.
During his summit with Trump last week, the two said in a joint statement that although Seoul and Washington would continue to impose maximum pressure on Pyongyang, they could open talks with Pyongyang. Trump also supported South Korea’s leading role in making an environment for peaceful unification and in restarting inter-Korean dialogue.
With this basic approach, Moon is forecast to exchange opinions with the G20 leaders and elaborate on his North Korea policy.
Regarding the North’s launch of an alleged ICBM, Moon was quoted as saying that he was not sure what consequences the North would have to face if it does not answer calls for denuclearization but crosses a “red line.” But Cheong Wa Dae said the Moon administration will not change its basic stance to seek dialogue amid maximum pressure.
The President is likely to keep to the “four nos” principle, which he announced last week in a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) during his visit to Washington, D.C. “President Trump and I will pursue no hostile policies against North Korea. We have no intention to attack North Korea. We have no wish to see its regime replaced or collapsed. We have no plan to artificially accelerate unification on the Korean Peninsula,” he said
“This principle is very important,” an expert in security and foreign affairs matters said on condition of anonymity. “The North should pay attention to the fact that the South Korean President has made the principle clear in the heart of the U.S. His stance will be a very important chance for the North, so Pyongyang should take advantage of this and move to resume dialogue with Seoul.”
During his visit to Germany, President Moon is scheduled to deliver a speech at the Koerber Foundation in Berlin, July 6, the day after his arrival in the country. He may present his ideas on improving inter-Korean relations in the speech, considering the significance of Berlin, the city symbolizing Germany’s reunification.
In 2000, former President Kim Dae-jung made the Berlin Declaration, in which he suggested large-scale economic assistance for the North, inter-Korean talks and the exchange of special envoys, leading to the first inter-Korean summit.
Former President Park Geun-hye also announced a roadmap for unification, focusing on humanitarian issues, during her visit to Dresden in 2014. North Korea, however, rejected her suggestions.
On his first day of visit to Germany July 5, Moon will have summits with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.
From July 7 to 8, he will move to Hamburg and participate in the G20 summit. Besides Abe, he is seeking more summits with leaders including Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin and Cheong Wa Dae is coordinating his schedule.