hankyoreh

Blue House Spokesperson Ko Min-jung makes a briefing at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion on Nov. 21. (Blue House photo pool)

On Nov. 21, the Blue House expressed disappointment that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had rejected South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s invitation to attend the South Korea-ASEAN summit in Busan.

“We consider it very unfortunate that we cannot take advantage of this rare opportunity for Chairman Kim to sit together with President Moon and the leaders of the 10 ASEAN states for the sake of peace and prosperity,” said Blue House Spokesperson Ko Min-jung.

“The government’s position has been and continues to be that the leaders of South and North Korea need to meet frequently, at every available opportunity, and make an effort to gain the international community’s understanding and support for inter-Korean cooperation and the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Ko added.

“We’d earnestly hoped that Kim would send a special envoy if he couldn’t come in person, and it’s a real shame [that even an envoy didn’t work out]. Even so, it’s notable that the North Koreans expressed [the rejection] in a respectful tone,” a senior official at the Blue House told the Hankyoreh over the telephone.

“North Korea appears to have put some thought into the tone and language of its message. There are aspects of the message that are understandable, but we’d held out hope and are disappointed that there’s no chance [of a visit],” another Blue House official said.

Moon had sent the letter asking Kim to attend the event in Busan in response to a message of condolence that Kim had conveyed upon the occasion of the death of Moon’s mother.

“President Moon sent a response on Nov. 5 to Chairman Kim’s message of condolence on the passing of the president’s mother. In that letter, the president expressed his opinion that, if Chairman Kim could attend the 2019 South Korea-ASEAN Summit, it would help boost international support for South and North Korea’s joint efforts to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Ko said.

After Moon sent his letter, the Blue House reportedly also held backroom negotiations with the North Koreans. The KCNA remarked that, “in the wake of the personal letter, there were several earnest requests for sending even a special envoy, if the SAC Chairman [Kim Jong-un] could not come.” But the Blue House declined to provide any details about that process.

By Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporter

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