Moon expects summit diplomacy to resume soon

Posted on : 2019-06-11 18:08 KST Modified on : 2019-06-11 18:08 KST
S. Korean president addresses denuclearization talks after summit with Finnish president
South Korean President Moon Jae-in holds a summit with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki. (Blue House photo pool)
South Korean President Moon Jae-in holds a summit with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki. (Blue House photo pool)

“Since dialogue is taking place between South and North Korea and between North Korea and the US, I believe that [summit diplomacy] between them will soon be able to resume,” South Korean President Moon Jae-in said during his state visit to Finland on June 10.

“While I’m aware that there are concerns that dialogue is at a standstill because [the North Korea-US summit in] Hanoi ended without an agreement, US President Donald Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un trust each other and continue to express their commitment to dialogue,” Moon said during a press conference following his summit with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki.

“Before I can comment on inter-Korean or North Korea-US talks, a decision or some degree of tangible progress will need to be made. For the moment, I can’t provide you with an answer. The president seems to have been making the generic statement that we’re making contact through various channels,” an official at the Blue House said when asked to comment about Moon’s remarks.

Moon asserted that progress has been made in the Korean Peninsula Peace Process since the end of 2017. “During the year and six months that have elapsed from November 2017 until the present day, North Korea has not committed any provocations that would increase tensions in the international community, such as testing nuclear weapons or launching medium- or long-range missiles. There have also been two rounds of denuclearization talks during meetings between the leaders of the US and North Korea, a historical first,” Moon said.

Moon also expressed his gratitude to Finland for “creating an opportunity for track-two dialogue [led by the private sector] between South Korea, North Korea, and the US last year, which has helped deepen understanding between our three countries.” Niinistö responded by saying that Finland is “always prepared to provide diplomatic support.”

Along with this, the two leaders agreed to initiate direct flights from Busan to Helsinki in March 2020. They also agreed to cooperate in future growth industries such as artificial intelligence, 5G mobile telecommunications, and startups and information technology, which are some of Finland’s strongest industries, and exchanged a memorandum of understanding (MOU) about cooperation on SMEs, startups, and innovation; energy cooperation; and a joint response to the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

After the summit, Moon visited the Otaniemi innovation cluster, referred to as Europe’s Silicon Valley. Some 800 IT firms — including Nokia and Microsoft — have a presence in the cluster, which is also the site of Aalto University and the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the largest research institute in Northern Europe.

By Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporter

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

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