Moon, Trump to hold talks on peace process

Choi Jong-kun, presidential secretary for peace planning, speaks during a briefing at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday. Yonhap

By Do Je-hae

President Moon Jae-in will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, Sept. 23, when he attends the United Nations General Assembly, in New York, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday.

Moon will be attending the Sept. 22 to 26 Assembly with a focus on promoting international understanding for his drive to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula.

The ninth meeting between the two comes ahead of the planned restart of U.S.-North Korea denuclearization negotiations. President Moon's role in facilitating the process is gaining attention once again, following the historic Trump-Kim meeting in June on the South side of the border village of Panmunjeom.

“During the Korea-U.S. summit, President Moon will discuss cooperation on the complete denuclearization of and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Choi Jong-kun, presidential secretary for peace planning, said Thursday during a press briefing on Moon's schedule.

The President will also hold summits with the leaders of Poland and Denmark, and is set to meet U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Sept. 23. On the following day, Moon will hold a summit with the Australian leader and meet with Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee. A keynote speech at the general debate of the U.N. General Assembly has been confirmed for the same day.

“During the speech at the General Assembly, the President will explain the progress of the peace process on the peninsula and Seoul's consistent efforts for this, in order to gain continued backing from the international community,” Choi added.

Both the U.S. and North Korea have shown their willingness to restart their dialogue which has been stalled since a failed summit in Hanoi. “The presidential National Security Office, the White House, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. State Department have been communicating often,” said Choi.

Trump recently replaced National Security Advisor John Bolton, whose hawkish stance toward the Kim Jong-un regime has been seen by the North as one of the stumbling blocks in bilateral negotiations. In a Twitter message, Thursday morning (KST), Trump named Robert C. O'Brien, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs at the State Department, as his new adviser.

“Another summit with Kim Jong-un, especially a Trump visit to Pyongyang, would be premature without better alliance management and significant working-level progress on denuclearization,” said Leif-Eric Easley, an associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. “Bolton's maximalist position on North Korea played a role, but was by no means the only factor behind the no-deal outcome of the Hanoi summit. Whether negotiations move forward after Bolton's departure depends on North Korean intentions.”

The presidential office elaborated on the details of other summits to take place in New York. In particular, the Korea-Poland summit is being held to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Moon will also take part in the summit for climate change, a preparatory event for the Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) summit and a ceremony to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi.