Moon reiterates role of facilitator in third North Korea-US summit

SEOUL, May 1, 2019, Hankyoreh. South Korean President Moon Jae-in sent a message on Apr. 29 reiterating his commitment to playing the role of facilitator toward a third North Korea-US summit in the near future, reported the Hankyoreh.

In a summit at the Blue House that day with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, who was visiting as a guest of the state, Moon said Pinera had “given firm support to the South Korean government’s efforts to achieve denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and establish peace,” Blue House Spokesperson Ko Min-jung reported.

Moon was also quoted as stating his plans to “encourage the holding of a third North Korea-US summit in the near future now that the North Korean and US leaders have stated their commitment to dialogue.”

“The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is something that concerns not just South and North Korea but the entire world. I look forward to you playing an important role in that,” Pinera said.

The two leaders also agreed on a plan for South Korea to become an associate member of the Pacific Alliance, to which Chile belongs. The Pacific Alliance is a regional economic alliance established in 2012 by Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Chile, accounting for 38% of Central and South America’s total output and 50% of its trade. “If South Korea becomes an associate member of the Pacific Alliance, it will create an FTA network that links our two regions and will lay a foundation for massive economic cooperation across the Pacific Ocean,” Moon said.

“The project to build a suspension bridge connecting Chiloe Island with the mainland of Chile is currently being carried out by a consortium led by a South Korean company, and that bridge will be a milestone in our mutual prosperity. I hope that even more South Korean companies can take part in the infrastructure projects in transportation and IT that the Chilean government is focusing on,” Moon went on to say. The two leaders also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) about cooperation on national defense, e-government, transportation, and IT technology.

By Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporter