President returns after playing mediating role in New York

President Moon Jae-in delivers a keynote speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Wednesday (local time). He asked for U.N. member countries to continue their support for the ongoing peace momentum on the Korean Peninsula. Yonhap

By Lee Min-hyung

President Moon Jae-in returned home Thursday after ending his diplomatic schedule in New York as a mediator for the ongoing denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang.

On his U.S. visit, he focused on delivering a message for peace from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un who reiterated his strong willingness for complete denuclearization at an inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang last week.

In a keynote speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday (local time), Moon called on international society to support the two Koreas' peace-building momentum, which he said will speed up their joint move for the early declaration of an end to the 1950-53 Korean War.

“Kim Jong-un expressed his hope of completing denuclearization as soon as possible to focus on economic growth,” Moon said in the speech.

The remark came a week after the regime's young leader promised to dismantle the country's Tongchang-ri missile launch facility with outside experts in attendance at the third inter-Korean summit of this year.

Moon's Pyongyang visit raised hopes to end a months-long political deadlock between Washington and Pyongyang. Both sides failed to make meaningful progress on denuclearization after a historic meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, June 12.

For this reason, President Moon's visit to the North last week drew keen attention, as he was expected to play a mediating role by paving the way for Washington and Pyongyang to make progress in their talks.

Only a few days after the three-day-long inter-Korean summit, Moon flew to New York to attend the U.N. session and a summit with Trump. After the summit, the U.S. leader hinted at the possibility of holding a second Washington-Pyongyang summit sometime “in the very near future.”

“Kim also expressed his firm desire to continue to take additional denuclearization measures including the permanent dismantlement of nuclear facilities in Yongbyon if the U.S. takes corresponding measures in the spirit of the Sentosa Agreement,” Moon said.

The President went on to say the ongoing talks among the two Koreas and the U.S. should proceed toward the goal of ending the decades-long technical state of war on the peninsula.

He said the Korean Peninsula has been in a state of war for 65 years, and it is urgent for both sides to put an end to the military tension for lasting peace here, calling it “a process we must go through in order to move towards a peace regime.”

“I look forward to seeing bold measures for denuclearization implemented among related countries, leading to a declaration to end the war,” Moon said.

Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday President Moon will take the day off Friday and return to the presidential office sometime over the weekend.