Moon underlines last-minute diplomacy with North Korea in New Year speech

President Moon Jae-in delivers a New Year address to the nation at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seok

By Do Je-hae

President Moon Jae-in underlined an unwavering commitment to his peace process on the Korean Peninsula by improving relations with North Korea, Monday, despite rising concerns over a possible continued deadlock in both inter-Korean and U.S.-North Korea relations under the incoming Joe Biden administration.

In a 27-minute New Year speech, President Moon said he would sit down with the North "at anytime, anywhere" to discuss cooperation, even in a non-face-to-face manner.

"This year marks the 30th anniversary of the two Koreas' simultaneous membership of the United Nations. The South and North must join hands to prove that peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula is beneficial for the international community," Moon said during the nationally-televised address. "It is our duty to pass on a Korean Peninsula without war and nuclear weapons to the next generation. In line with the launch of the U.S. Biden administration, the government will strengthen the South Korea-U.S. alliance and make a last-ditch effort to achieve a major turnaround in stalled U.S.-North Korea and inter-Korea dialogue."

President Moon Jae-in delivers a New Year speech at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae

The President said that there was still a lot to be achieved through inter-Korean cooperation, such as jointly taking part in a regional dialogue for healthcare and anti-pandemic cooperation. "I hope that we can start coexistence and peace in the process of responding to COVID-19," Moon said. "When cooperation gets wider and wider, we can take a step forward on the path of unification. The key driver of the peace process on the Korean Peninsula is dialogue and win-win cooperation. Our willingness to talk anytime anywhere remains unchanged, even in a non-face-to-face manner."

Moon's remarks come after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said during the ruling Workers' Party of Korea Congress meeting last week that inter-Korean relations had returned to state before April 27, 2018, when Moon and Kim held a summit in the border village of Panmunjeom, the first of their three summits that year.

During the party congress, the North Korean leader slammed South Korea for offering cooperation in what he called "non-essential" areas such as healthcare and tourism, and underlined his focus on improving the economy. Pyongyang has also vowed to take its nuclear weapons development to the next level, despite its pledge for denuclearization in Kim's meetings with Moon and outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore 2018.

This situation is bringing into question the effectiveness of Moon's last-ditch efforts in the twilight of his presidency to achieve a fundamental breakthrough in diplomacy with North Korea.

President Moon Jae-in, right, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrive at the Northern side of Panmumjeom for a summit in May 2018. Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae

"Variables in inter-Korean relations in the final phase of a presidency are not very effective because they can cause political controversy," Choi Jin, director of the Presidential Leadership Institute in Seoul, told The Korea Times. "It is difficult to expect a big breakthrough in inter-Korean relations at this point. With the new Biden administration, it is hard to expect Trump-style top-down diplomacy on the Korean Peninsula."

But the ruling camp remains hopeful for a real breakthrough to support Moon's final push for resuscitating inter-Korean talks. Ruling Democratic Party of Korea veterans such as Rep. Sul Hoon even mentioned the possibility of Kim's reciprocal visit to South Korea this year.

"We really need Kim's visit this year. Summer is a good time after the Biden administration has settled and COVID-19 is under better control," the five-time lawmaker said in a radio interview, Monday.

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