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During a state visit to Singapore

“If South and North Korea coexist in prosperity and restore their national community on a peaceful peninsula, the door to unification will swing open naturally,” South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on July 11 during a state visit to Singapore following a trip to India.

Moon also said that “the goal of my administration is formally declaring the end of the Korean War this year.”

When asked whether he thought that unification would occur in the near future during an interview with The Straits Times, a Singapore daily, Moon said, “It has barely been six months since inter-Korean relations got back on track. At the present moment, we need to focus on developing inter-Korean relations, establishing peace and denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula while making the most of the opportunities we’ve been given.”

Calling a declaration of the Korean War’s end “a signpost in terms of carrying forward the process of establishing permanent peace, including denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the signing of a peace agreement,” President Moon said it was “our administration’s goal to declare the war over this year for the 65th anniversary of the armistice agreement, as agreed upon in the Panmunjeom Declaration.”

Ongoing additional discussions are taking place to this end between South and North Korea and between North Korea and the US, he added.

President Moon stressed “trust” as the most critical element between Seoul and Pyongyang and between Pyongyang and Washington.

“A great shift is current taking place on the Korean Peninsula in world historical terms. The course of history has begun shifting from war to peace,” he said.

At the same time, he cautioned against raising hopes prematurely, stressing that “we must also consider that military tensions and hostile relations have been an ongoing issue between North Korea and the US for the past 70 years and cannot be resolved all at once.”

The key, he stressed, would be “the leaders honoring their agreement.”

“North Korea is fleshing out its denuclearization implementation plan further, and South Korea and the US are working quickly to pursue comprehensive corresponding measures. For that to happen, the most crucial thing is trust,” he said.

Commenting on the issue of withdrawing US Forces Korea (USFK), President Moon stressed, “USFK is a matter of the South Korea-US alliance, not something to be discussed during the North Korea-US denuclearization negotiation process.”

“South Korea and the US maintain a firm position on the role and importance of USFK for the sake of the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia,” he said.

President Moon is scheduled to return to South Korea on July 13 after a July 12 summit in Singapore with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

By Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporter

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