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South Korean President Moon Jae-in presides over the first preparatory meeting for the upcoming Pyongyang inter-Korean summit at the Blue House on Sept. 6. (Blue House photo pool)

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Sept. 7 that his target for a Korean Peninsula denuclearization and permanent peace plan was to “generate enough progress by the end of this year that there will be no turning back.”

In a written interview published that day by Indonesia’s top daily Kompas, President Moon said he had “confirmed through the Apr. 27 Panmunjom Declaration and June 12 North Korea-US Singapore Joint Statement that the leader of South and North Korea and the US share the common goals of the Korean Peninsula’s complete denuclearization and establishment of permanent peace.”

The interview took place ahead of a Sept. 9 South Korean visit by Indonesian President Joko Widodo as a guest of the state.

“The issue is sincere implementation of the leaders’ agreements, and the building of trust among the countries is crucial,” President Moon continued.

“It would be even better if an end-of-war declaration announcing the end of hostile relations on the Korean Peninsula can be made this year, the 65th anniversary of the armistice, as part of the practical stage of trust building,” he added.

“As a party to Korean Peninsula issues, South Korea will commit all efforts to advancing inter-Korean relations, improving North Korea-US relations, and promoting denuclearization,” he said.

President Moon also stressed that the “most fundamental thing in Korean Peninsula policy is that there must not be war again on the Korean Peninsula.”

“Making peace an everyday thing has been the longstanding dream of the South Korean people,” he said.

President Moon additionally discussed his “new southern policy” in the interview.

“Upgrading our relationship with ASEAN to the level of the four surrounding powers means increasing cooperation not only economically but in all areas including foreign affairs and national security,” he said.

Noting that Indonesia had “played a leading role in the ASEAN foundation and integration process,” he added, “I look forward to cooperating more closely with Indonesia in the process of development into a person-centered peace community where South Korea and ASEAN prosper together.”

President Moon also announced plans to increase trade with Indonesia to the level of US$30 billion by 2022 and step up cooperation in the areas of petrochemicals, automobile-related industries, and machine tools.

By Kim Bo-hyeop, staff reporter

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