Moon could be nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Sat, September 23, 2023 | 13:42

Inter-Korean summit 2018

Moon could be nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Posted : 2018-04-27 18:22

Updated : 2018-04-28 16:18

Waiting for peace / Korea Summit Press Pool

By Park Ji-won

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is likely to be among the few strong candidates to win next year's Nobel Peace Prize.

Cheong Wa Dae has been cautious about mentioning this, and Moon himself has given much credit to U.S. President Donald Trump for reduced tension on the Korean Peninsula and inter-Korean reconciliation.

However, many South Koreans are already holding an active online campaign to push for Moon's nomination for next year's prize.

"I hope the day would come that Moon wins the Nobel Peace Prize after holding a successful inter-Korean summit," lawmaker Chun Jung-bae posted on Twitter.

Some foreign media outlets, including the BBC, also cautiously anticipated Moon may become the winner.

Another lawmaker Roh Hoe-chan, floor leader of the Justice Party, said the prize should be shared with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Trump. Moon praised Kim in the opening statement in the inter-Korean summit, Friday, saying that he respects "Kim's bold decision to make this happen."

South Korean President Kim Dae-jung won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000 ― the first time for a Korean ― for improving ties with the North. Kim and then-North Korean leader Kim Jong-il held their first historic summit in the North Korean capital Pyongyang in 2000.

The nomination process for the prize ends on Jan. 31 every year and the winner is announced in October. This historic summit was the first in 11 years.

Cheong Wa Dae has been cautious about talking about the prize. The presidential office spokesman once criticized the move to form an organization for nominating Moon for the Nobel Peace Prize saying it was not "desirable."

jwpark@ktimes.com