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South Korean President Moon Jae-in presides over a meeting with senior secretaries and aides at the Blue House on Aug. 19. (Blue House photo pool)

“Should this opportunity [for dialogue] be missed, we may not be able to create another opportunity,” South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Aug. 19.

“Exercising caution is as essential as if carefully taking one step at a time while carrying fragile glassware.”

Moon was emphasizing the need to sustain momentum for resuming dialogue resulting from the end of the South Korea-US joint military exercises on Aug. 20 and the visit to South Korea by Stephen Biegun, the US State Department’s special representative for North Korea.

“What matters most is the fact that dialogue among the two Koreas and the US has commenced and is now making progress. [. . .] Given this, the two Koreas, the US, and other related countries, as well as each of us, must cherish this golden opportunity and be sure to make the most of it,” Moon said during a meeting with his senior secretaries and aides at the Blue House on Monday.

“We must have the sincerity and wisdom of putting ourselves into [the other side’s] position. Dialogue will be successful when we all work together to promote things that are conducive and discourage things that hinder it,” Moon said during his opening remarks to the meeting.

This represented a veiled request for North Korea to refrain from criticism. After Moon said during his commemorative address for Liberation Day on Aug. 15 that any “dissatisfaction” felt by North Korea “should be raised and discussed at the negotiating table,” the North launched short-range missiles and rudely attacked the South Korean government and the Blue House in a statement by the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland.

“The peace economy is a key challenge and opportunity for our future,” Moon said, adding, “It’s a path that we cannot afford to give up on in order for us to become a peaceful and strong country. The same goes for North Korea as well.”

A Blue House official offered the following commentary on Moon’s remarks. “The reason the president put renewed stress on the peace economy now, after his congratulatory address for Liberation Day, is because of how crucial the current timing is. Dialogue has been stalled since the Hanoi summit, and if North Korea and the US hold working-level negotiations, that means dialogue is finally back on track. That makes it very important for the Korean Peninsula Peace Process. The president seems to have been stressing the immense responsibility he feels for making that a reality.”

By Lee Wan, staff reporter

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