hankyoreh

South Korean President Moon Jae-in presides over a meeting with his senior aides and secretaries at the Blue House on Oct. 10. (Blue House photo pool)

“If the second North Korea-US summit that will be held soon leads to a declaration of lasting peace and the achievement of a Korean Peninsula without nuclear weapons or a nuclear threat, the whole world will be shown the true value of the sacrifices made at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir,” South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Oct. 10.

“Today, I once more would like to honor the memory of those heroes and tell their spirits that lasting peace is now coming to the Korean Peninsula,” Moon said in an address that was read on his behalf by Minister of Patriot and Veterans Affairs Pi Woo-jin during the 3rd Memorial Service for the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. The Battle of Chosin Reservoir (Nov. 27-Dec. 13, 1950) of the Korean War resulted in heavy casualties for UN forces. There is a memorial for those who gave their lives during the battle in Washington, DC.

The memorial service was held at the War Memorial in Yongsan, Seoul, on Wednesday afternoon.

Moon’s optimistic prediction that “lasting peace is now coming to the Korean Peninsula” appears to be based on US President Donald Trump’s official announcement that the second North Korea-US summit, which will have as its agenda the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the normalization of North Korea-US relations, will be held after the midterm elections on Nov. 6.

Provided that the resumption of North Korea-US negotiations, the initial steps toward denuclearization and corresponding measures by the US create a virtuous cycle, Moon believes affairs on and around the Korean Peninsula could change rapidly: South Korea, North Korea and the US formally declaring the end of the Korean War before the end of the year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un paying a return visit to Seoul, and Pope Francis visiting Pyongyang.

During an earlier meeting of aides and senior secretaries at the Blue House, Moon mentioned these changing circumstances and once again called for the cooperation of the National Assembly in ratifying and approving the Panmunjom Declaration.

“The Panmunjom Declaration was followed by the historic North Korea-US summit and the inter-Korean Pyongyang Declaration, and now the second North Korea-US summit is approaching. The situation on the Korean Peninsula is rapidly advancing, but the National Assembly is refusing to budge; it hasn’t even submitted the ratification bill to the standing committee,” Moon said, voicing criticism of the National Assembly.

“I hope that the National Assembly will take part in the work of creating a new history of peace on the Korean Peninsula, something that Koreans fervently desire as the world looks on, and that it will lend its strength to help the government do a better job,” Moon urged.

By Kim Bo-hyeop, staff reporter

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