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Han Zheng

During a meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence on Feb. 8, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said he would “work hard to use the opportunity [of North Korea’s participation in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics] to bring North Korea to the table for talks for denuclearization and peace.” Moon also asked China’s special envoy Han Zheng to aid his plan for peace at Pyeongchang through improving inter-Korean relations and arranging dialogue between North Korea and the US. “I hope you will help inter-Korean dialogue lead to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and North Korea-US dialogue,” Moon said to Han.

“I’m confident that [Pence’s][ visit will serve as an opportunity to show to the entire world and to all Koreans the very strong relationship and alliance that we share, especially in light of the fact that it is following… the state visit… of President Trump last year,” Moon said.

“I believe that it is thanks to the unwavering principle of the United States and the very strong and close coordination between Korea and the United States that enabled North Korea to come [for] dialogue and to participate in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games,” Moon said. “One thing that I would always like to emphasize is that the airtight cooperation between Korea and the United States is of the utmost importance.”

During his remarks, Pence observed that Moon had discussed the economy and many other issues with Trump but that “chief among the issues is our shared objective of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”

“The United States of America will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in our effort to bring maximum pressure to bear on North Korea until that time comes when they finally and permanently and irreversibly abandon their nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions,” Pence went on to say. “Our resolve to stand with you is unshakeable.”

President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with Chinese Politburo Standing Committee member and special envoy for President Xi Jinping

During an earlier 40-minute meeting at the Blue House with Han Zheng, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Moon asked China to “help inter-Korean dialogue lead to the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and to North Korea-US dialogue.”

“Our two countries must find common ground and shared interests in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of a peace treaty. After the Pyeongchang Olympics in particular, our two countries must keep working closely together so that dialogue with North Korea can continue and ultimately lead to talks designed to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue,” Moon was quoted as saying to Han by Blue House spokesperson Kim Eui-kyum.

“North Korea is eager to participate in inter-Korean dialogue during the Olympics. This dialogue must lead to the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. I hope that China will play a greater role in ensuring that inter-Korean dialogue leads to North Korea-US dialogue,” Moon went on to say.

“Affairs on the Korean Peninsula are dominated by the US and North Korea. South Korea and China need to work together with the same objective so that the US and North Korea will push for talks themselves,” Han said in response.

“There’s a Chinese proverb that says, ‘One cold day isn’t enough to freeze a pool of water that’s three feet around.’ Since these matters are so complicated, we must work patiently,” Han added.

Moon also told Han that South Korean companies are having a hard time opening up operations in China and asked Han to make a special effort to ensure that they benefit from China’s robust growth as well.

By Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporter

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