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| President Moon Jae-in speaks at the start of a weekly meeting with senior presidential secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. Yonhap |
By Kim Yoo-chul
President Moon Jae-in said Monday that South Korea isn't a bystander in the ongoing talks aimed at dismantling North Korea's nuclear program.
"We have to make [denuclearization] happen as we are desperate. This is the issue that can determine the destiny of the country and public," Moon said during a meeting with senior secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae, according to press pool reports.
Moon said the results of last week's meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim Yong-chol, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's special envoy, were satisfactory.
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"I've been receiving positive feedback from the United States that last week's meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea's chief nuclear negotiator Kim Yong-chol was satisfactory for both sides," Moon said.
"Specifically, President Trump evaluated he saw lots of progress in nuclear disarmament talks and other issues. Working-level discussions are underway in Sweden with South Korea's participation. Expectations are that a planned second summit between Trump and Kim in late February could bring substantial results."
The North's chief negotiator Kim met the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for about an hour in a Washington hotel, and then spent more than 90 minutes with Trump in the Oval Office, before leaving for a lunch with Pompeo to discuss more details.
"I am wondering what South Koreans think about what happened (in Washington). We have to keep an eye on the outcome of the upcoming summit between the United States and North. We have no idea what will happen, but one thing is that international politics around the Korean Peninsula are changing so fast," the President said. "We can't afford to lose that chance as this is the first opportunity in over 65 years since the end of the Korean War."
The President asked the public and politicians to support the move for bringing a lasting peace on the peninsula. "There are lots of action plans and different assessments on how they will be implemented, but I want you to look at the bigger picture."
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