President Moon and Trump discuss summit details day before

Posted on : 2018-06-12 12:27 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Pompeo scheduled to meet with Moon in Seoul after event
South Korean President Moon Jae-in speaks with US President Donald Trump on the phone on the afternoon of June 11
South Korean President Moon Jae-in speaks with US President Donald Trump on the phone on the afternoon of June 11

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump discussed means of achieving “successful results” from the North Korea-US summit in Singapore in a telephone call a day before the event on the afternoon of June 11, the Blue House said.

“President Trump explained to President Moon Jae-in the details of the discussions to date between the US and North Korea ahead of the summit tomorrow [June 12],” Blue House spokesperson Kim Eui-kyum said in a briefing. The two leaders spoke for 40 minutes from 4:30 pm to 5:10 pm, the Blue House reported.

“They agreed if President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un meet directly to find a common denominator between the two sides through open dialogue and agree to boldly achieve what the world is hoping for, they can achieve great results,” Kim said.

In particular, President Moon praised Trump’s “courage” and “leadership” in the conversation, stressing that the “entire South Korean public will be praying for you to produce miraculous results at the summit,” Kim added.

President Moon was also quoted as telling Trump, “If the North Korea-US summit is a success, it will be not only a great gift to people all over the world but also a good present for your birthday on June 14.”

The two leaders were reported as sharing details about the progress and prospects to date for the North Korea-US summit and other areas.

“The two leaders also discussed a trilateral declaration of the end of the [Korean] War by South Korea, North Korea, and the US,” Kim said, adding that he could not give any more specifics.

President Moon is scheduled to hear directly about the Singapore summit’s outcome while meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is visiting South Korea just after the event on June 13–14.

Presiding over an earlier meeting of Blue House senior secretaries and aides, President Moon voiced his “hope for bold determination as the two leaders magnanimously exchange demands so that the world’s dream for a new era on the Korean Peninsula can be achieved.”

Noting that the Korean Peninsula denuclearization process could be a “very long journey,” President Moon stated three major principles for approaching it: a “long view,” “simultaneous improvements in inter-Korean relations,” and “agency in resolving peninsula issues.”

In stressing the “long view,” he noted, “Deeply rooted matters like hostile relations and the North Korean nuclear issue cannot be resolved in a single stroke at one summit between leaders.”

“We need to create a positive feedback loops where improvements in inter-Korean relations lead to improvements in North Korea-US relations, and improvements in North Korea-US relations lead to further advancements in inter-Korean relations,” he stressed.

He also called on the South Korean public to “remain with us on Korean Peninsula issues so that we do not lose sight of our commitment or our posture as a driving force.”

By Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporter

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]

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