Moon stresses diplomacy on N. Korea in summits
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President Moon Jae-in holds a PyeongChang Winter Olympics uniform together with U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May after giving it to her as a gift following their summit at U.N. headquarters in New York, Wednesday. / Yonhap
By Kim Rahn
President Moon Jae-in is drumming up international support for Seoul’s efforts to seek a peaceful solution to the North Korea nuclear issue through a series of summits with foreign leaders in New York City.
Moon had talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May, Czech President Milos Zeman and Senegalese President Macky Sall on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Wednesday.
In talks with May, Moon recognized Britain’s active role as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) in adopting and carrying out UNSC resolutions regarding North Korea.
“May said the North’s nuclear and missile threats have emerged as a big threat not only to Northeast Asia but also to world peace and security, stressing the need for the international community’s unified countermeasures,” presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun said.
The two leaders vowed to respond sternly to North Korean provocations and maintain close cooperation to resolve the issue through peaceful means, he said.
To Zeman, Moon expressed gratitude for Czech’s consistent support for Seoul’s North Korea policy.
As Moon asked for Czech’s support for a peaceful resolution of the issue, Zeman said his country would play a necessary role in global-level actions, according to the spokesman.
“Zeman said resolving the issue through a massive military operation will lead to the deaths of many innocent citizens, so he hopes Korea can be unified peacefully like Germany was,” Park said.
Moon expressed gratitude for support from Senegal, a UNSC member, for South Korea’s stance on the North’s nuclear issue. Sall said his country would faithfully carry out UNSC resolutions and cooperate with future countermeasures as well.
‘Olympic truce’
In a separate meeting with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, Moon said he will ensure security at the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, adding he was well aware of the security concerns of international society amid heightening tension on the Korean Peninsula.
“South Korea achieved the opportunity to host the games after two failed attempts. If the world unifies and holds the Olympics successfully at this time of high tension here, it will wash away security concerns in the region and display peace,” Moon said.
Moon said the country had submitted a draft resolution for an Olympic truce, seeking truces in all troubled parts of the world during the Olympic period. Such a truce resolution has been adopted customarily in recent games. South Korea’s resolution is scheduled to be put to a vote at the U.N. General Assembly Nov. 13.
Bach said the draft is getting favorable reviews from many countries, according to Park. “If famous Korean winter sports athletes invite foreign athletes and promote the resolution together, it will not only help the adoption of the resolution but will also promote the PyeongChang Olympics,” Park quoted Bach.