Moon, Abe discuss N. Korea over phone

By Yi Whan-woo

Moon Jae-in, Shinzo Abe

President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reaffirmed to maintain sanctions and pressure against North Korea while seeking to resolve Pyongyang’s nuclear crisis through dialogue during their telephone conversation, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday.

This was the fourth phone call between Moon and Abe since Moon took office in May.

“The two leaders shared their thoughts on the grave security situation on the Korean Peninsula and discussed how they can cope with it,” presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun said.

“They agreed to work closely on cooperation between their countries and also with the trilateral alliance along with the United States to completely scrap North Korea’s nuclear program.

“They especially agreed to discuss leading North Korea to the right circumstances to resume dialogue."

A senior Cheong Wa Dae official speculated that the phone call was made as a preparatory measure against North Korea’s possible military provocations on the occasion of the Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise between Seoul and Washington.

Moon and Abe “were on the same track” when they discussed issues on historical disputes, such as forced labor of Koreans during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule, according to Park.

Abe brought up the issues in relation to Moon’s press conference in Seoul on Aug. 17, when he claimed that the individual victims of forced labor have the right to file suit against the Japanese enterprises that exploited them.

“The President explained he meant to underscore future relations between the two countries and that their ties should not be disrupted by such historical conflicts,” Park said.

Both Moon and Abe promised to talk about this more when they join the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, slated for Sept. 6 to 7.

Cheong Wa Dae said it is scheduling the possible bilateral summit on the sidelines of the forum.