S. Korea to seek ‘realistic, practical’ ways for inter-Korean ties: President Moon

SEOUL, Apr 27, 2020, Yonhap. President Moon Jae-in said Monday his government will move ahead with “realistic and practical” cooperation with North Korea despite international constraints, adding the coronavirus crisis may provide the neighbors with a new opportunity for partnership, Yonhap reported.

He was apparently referring to U.N.-led sanctions on Pyongyang as he spoke on the occasion of the second anniversary of his historic Panmunjom summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Little progress so far in following up on the Panmunjom Declaration is not due to the lack of the two Koreas’ commitment to actions but because of a failure to overcome the existing international restrictions, he said during a weekly meeting with his senior Cheong Wa Dae aides.

“But we can’t just wait for the conditions to improve,” Moon stressed. “We must continue to do even small things that we can do amid realistic constraints.”

He cited a joint response to COVID-19, infectious diseases in animals, disasters in border areas and climate change.

He also said South Korea will do what it can in connection with the project to relink inter-Korean railways.