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Special Presidential Advisor and Yonsei University Professor Moon Chung-in speaks at a lecture marking the 10th anniversary of the Oct. 4 inter-Korean summit statement at the 63 Building in Seoul on Sept. 26.

During a lecture marking the Oct. 4 inter-Korean summit statement, Moon Chung-in said that North Korea-US dialogue and inter-Korean dialogue were essential to overcome the crisis on the Korean Peninsula that has been caused by the recent tense standoff between North Korea and the US. Moon is the president’s special advisor on unification, foreign affairs and security, as well as a professor emeritus at Yonsei University.

The situation on the Korean Peninsula “is graver than at the time of the axe murder incident at Panmunjeom in 1976. The deployment patterns [of US military assets] are being carefully coordinated,” Moon said during a special lecture titled “What is the solution for establishing peace amid the crisis on the Korean Peninsula?” which was held as part of an event commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Oct. 4 inter-Korean summit statement at the 63 Convention Center in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of Sept. 26. When White House National Security Advisor H. R. McMaster mentioned four or five scenarios for resolving the North Korean nuclear threat on Sept. 25, Moon said, he was “probably thinking of military actions prepared by the US.”

Moon said that the solution for the crisis on the Korean Peninsula must consist of “resolving the strategic distrust between the US and North Korea.” The most critical prerequisite for this, he said, was “dialogue between the US and North Korea.” “The ideal option is for the US to send a secret envoy to reach a dramatic agreement,” he added.

“What is also necessary is inter-Korean dialogue,” Moon went on to say. “North Korea’s behavior serves as a decisive opportunity for overcoming the peace crisis on the Korean Peninsula and turning the situation around. I hope that North Korea will adopt a forward-looking attitude,” he said.

One noteworthy remark that Moon made during the lecture was that “the US was extremely uncomfortable” about the overture for military talks that Seoul made to North Korea in July.

“US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson protested this to South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa in strong language,” Moon said as he explained that the government had pushed for the talks out of concern about the possibility of an unplanned military clash in the West Sea.

By Kim Ji-eun, staff reporter

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