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South Korean President Moon Jae-in speaks with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono at the Blue House on Apr. 11. (Blue House Photo Pool)

“Right now, we’re standing at the beginning of a long journey toward peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula. We’re seeking to take the lead in initiating a transformation of world history consisting of permanent peace and the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the sustainable development of inter-Korean relations,” South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Apr. 11.

Moon made these remarks while presiding over a meeting of the preparatory committee for the inter-Korean summit. “We must prepare prudently and faithfully with an earnest heart while staying alert until the final moment,” he said.

“Rather than approaching this with the excessive ambition of solving all the problems at once, I hope you will approach the inter-Korean summit [on Apr. 27] as an opportunity to restore inter-Korean relations, which have been severed for so long, and to create a firm stepping stone toward peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.”

“Make preparations so that the inter-Korean summit may serve as a guide that can effectively lead to the success of the North Korea-US summit,” Moon also said.

The Blue House decided to set up a comprehensive situation room under the inter-Korean summit preparatory committee. This is likely to be led by Yun Geon-young, head of the Blue House’s situation room.

In related news, Blue House spokesperson Kim Eui-kyum reported that Moon received a courtesy call from Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono that same afternoon and asked Japan to “play a constructive role in achieving the goals of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of a permanent peace.”

Kono said he hoped South Korea would help resolve the issue of the Japanese abductees, to which Moon said that the two countries would continue to cooperate on improving relations and resolving issues affecting North Korea-Japan relations, including the issue of the Japanese abductees.

Moon also noted that fishermen were suffering greatly because South Korea and Japan had not reached a breakthrough in negotiations about the fishing industry over the past two years and asked for the Japanese government’s cooperation. Kono responded by saying that Japan would do its best, Kim related.

By Kim Bo-hyeop and Kim Ji-eun, staff reporters

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