Moon stresses Korea peace for humanity in last-day G-20 session
President Moon Jae-in and Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister, shake hands at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29. Reuters
Participating in the last session of this year's G20 Summit held in Osaka, Japan, Saturday, President Moon Jae-in emphasized the need to bring lasting peace to the Korean Peninsula for a “human-centered” future.
He used the two-day summit to highlight his peace efforts and vision for the group's role in resolving trade spats and other global challenges.
In the Third Session of the 14th G20 Summit earlier in the day, he said, “I believe now is the time for the Group of 20 to shoulder a stronger sense of responsibility and duty for humanity,” according to Cheong Wa Dae.
“Aiming to overcome issues linked to its socioeconomic divide and aging population, Korea has unveiled a strategy to become an inclusive nation for coexistence and mutual benefit,” he added. “The South Korean government is also expanding the social safety net in such areas as employment, welfare and health care.”
He also raised the North Korea issue. “There is another place where fundamental changes in perceptions, creativity and international cooperation are desperately required,” read the unofficial translation of his speech, released by the presidential office.
“Peace is the cornerstone of sustainable development,” he said, reiterating that a peace-driven economy on the peninsula will provide a new growth engine for not only Korea but also Northeast Asia, as well as other areas worldwide.
He appreciated joint efforts by the United States, China, Russia and Japan in moving toward that goal.
Moon had bilateral summits with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the summit.
Xi and Putin conveyed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's “unchanged” denuclearization commitment, sharing the results of their own recent one-on-one talks with Kim, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
Just before flying to Seoul, Moon met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Trudeau said that his country was keenly interested in the North Korea issue, and that it supports Moon's approach.
He said Canada, as a partner of South Korea, will make joint efforts for stability in the region.
Moon, however, had no bilateral summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the host of the G20 event, attributable to a continued diplomatic rift over their countries' shared history.
Moon shook hands with Abe for eight seconds in the official welcoming ceremony Friday.
Immediately after returning to Seoul, Moon plans to have a dinner meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.
They will have a summit Sunday amid speculation that they may visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) together.
Trump offered, via a tweet, to meet with the North's leader at the DMZ. (Yonhap)