2024 RT Amination Banner.gif

China Daily

Asia Pacific> Asia News> Content
Wednesday, August 23, 2017, 18:16
ROK president emphasizes improved ties with DPRK
By Xinhua
Wednesday, August 23, 2017, 18:16 By Xinhua

ROK's President Moon Jae-In speaks during a press conference marking his first 100 days in office at the presidential house in Seoul on Aug 17, 2017. (JUNG YEON-JE / POOL / AFP)

SEOUL - The Republic of Korea's (ROK) President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday emphasized the improved relations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) for the denuclearized Korean Peninsula.

Moon made the remarks during a meeting with officials from the foreign and unification ministries, according to the presidential Blue House. The meeting was arranged to hear the opinions of the working-level officials about security and foreign affairs.

Attending the discussion session were senior presidential secretaries, including chief of staff and top security advisor, as well as foreign and unification ministers, director general-level officials and lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party.

When the ROK-DPRK relations were good, the Korean Peninsula's nuclear issue showed a hope of resolution and the peninsula's situations were stably managed, Moon said, adding that "(we) need to look back on that experience."

Under the late liberal presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun from 1998 to 2008, inter-Korean relations were better than under the conservative governments in the past decade.

Kim and Roh held summit meetings with late DPRK leader Kim Jong-il, father of the current leader Kim Jong-un, in 2000 and 2007 respectively. Under their presidencies, the six-party talks to denuclearize the peninsula were actively held.

The aid-for-disarmament talks, which involved the ROK, the DPRK, China, the United States, Russia and Japan, have been suspended since late 2008.

Moon said the unification ministry should focus on materializing the so-called New Economic Initiative of the Korean Peninsula, which was advocated by the ROK's president to enhance inter-Korean relations through economic cooperation.

Experts here expected Moon to inherit the Sunshine Policy, advocated by his liberal predecessors, of engagement with the DPRK through economic cooperation and the exchanges of culture, sports and personnel.

If the initiative is materialized, Moon said, it would lay foundation for peace on the peninsula and in Northeast Asia, contributing to ROK's economic growth and job creation. 


Share this story