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South Korean President Moon Jae-in and White House National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien shake hands at the 35th ASEAN summit in Bangkok on Nov. 4. (Blue House photo pool)

On the evening of Nov. 4, South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with White House National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien, who attended the East Asia Summit as a special envoy from US President Donald Trump. O’Brien was appointed to the position to replace John Bolton.

“The president congratulated O’Brien on his appointment as national security advisor for President Trump, who has exhibited such daring leadership in attempting to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue,” Blue House Spokesperson Ko Min-jung said. The meeting lasted for 35 minutes, from 5:40 pm to 6:15 pm.

Moon told O’Brien that close cooperation between the two leaders had played an important role in promoting the mutually beneficial development of the South Korea-US alliance and the Korean Peninsula Peace Process and expressed his hope that the Blue House and White House would remain in close communication going forward.

When Moon was asked for advice about facilitating dialogue with North Korea, he “underscored the importance of continuing to engage patiently with North Korea, while sharing his prior experience with inter-Korean dialogue,” Ko said.

Moon also traded opinions with O’Brien about South Korea-Japan relations and affairs in other regions. The deadline for extending South Korea and Japan’s GSOMIA intelligence-sharing agreement — a matter of considerable importance to the US — falls at the end of November.

O’Brien also delivered a letter personally signed by Trump and conveying his heartfelt condolences for the passing of Moon’s mother. In the letter, Trump said that he remembers how passionately Moon’s mother had wanted to return to her hometown in North Korea and said he believed she was proud of Moon’s efforts to establishing lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

In addition to O’Brien, the US was represented during the meeting by Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger, US Ambassador to Korea Harry Harris, US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell, and several members of the National Security Council: Senior Director for Asia Allison Hooker, and Senior Director for Southeast Asia Julie Turner.

The South Korean officials accompanying Moon at the meeting were National Security Office Director Chung Eui-yong, National Security Office 2nd Deputy Director Kim Hyun-chong, Peace Strategy Secretary Choi Jong-geon, Foreign Affairs Policy Secretary Park Cheol-min, Personal Secretary Shin Jee-yeon, Spokesperson Ko Min-jung, and Deputy Foreign Minister Yoon Soon-gu.

By Lee Wan, staff reporter

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