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Monday, April 15, 2019, 18:12
ROK's Moon says to push for summit with DPRK leader
By Xinhua
Monday, April 15, 2019, 18:12 By Xinhua

This photo taken on Sept 19, 2018 and released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) via KNS shows the Republic of Korea (ROK)'s President Moon Jae-in (left) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s leader Kim Jong-un shaking hands during a joint press conference after their summit at the Paekhwawon State Guesthouse in Pyongyang. (PHOTO / KCNA VIA KNS / AFP)

SEOUL — The Republic of Korea (ROK)'s President Moon Jae-in said Monday that he will actively push for another summit meeting with Kim Jong-un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), to help resume dialogue between the DPRK and the United States.

Moon said he hopes to make concrete and effective discussions with Kim "in any place and formality at the DPRK's convenience" about ways to bear advanced fruits going beyond the past two DPRK-US summits

"Now, it's time to actively prepare and push for South-North summit," Moon told a regular meeting with his senior secretaries, referring to the fourth summit between ROK and the DPRK.

The ROK is also referred to South Korea, and the DPRK referred to North Korea.

ALSO READ: ROK says to push for DPRK leader's visit to Seoul in 2019

Last year, the leaders of the two Koreas held summit talks three times.

Moon said he hopes to make concrete and effective discussions with Kim "in any place and formality at the DPRK's convenience" about ways to bear advanced fruits going beyond the past two DPRK-US summits.

The comment came after Moon visited Washington last week for summit meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Moon said his Washington meeting with Trump was aimed to remove uncertainties raised after the second summit between Kim and Trump, and restore the momentum of dialogue between the DPRK and the United States for the unwavering push for the peace process on the Korean Peninsula. 

The second Kim-Trump summit ended with no agreement in late February in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi. After the Hanoi summit, Moon vowed to help resume dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington.

READ MORE: ROK aims to help resume DPRK-US dialogue

After the meeting with Moon, Trump said in Washington that "smaller deals" could happen "step by step" between the DPRK and the United States, though his country and ROK were focusing on "the big deal."

"The big deal is we have to get rid of the nuclear weapons," Trump explained.

The DPRK leader said in his policy speech marking the First Session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) on Friday that he was willing to hold one more summit with Trump "if the United States adopts a correct posture and comes to the third DPRK-US summit with a certain methodology that can be shared."

Kim noted that he would wait for a "bold decision" from Trump with patience by the end of this year, saying both Pyongyang and Washington should try to find out a "constructive solution to meet each other's interests."

In response, Trump tweeted Saturday that a third summit with Kim "would be good in that we fully understand where we each stand."

US President Donald Trump (right) speaks during a meeting withthe Rpublic of Korea's President Moon Jae-in in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, April 11, 2019. (EVAN VUCCI / AP)

Moon said ROK and the United States reaffirmed the common goals of achieving complete denuclearization and building permanent peace on the peninsula through a diplomatic solution and also agreed to work together to resume the dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington in the near future.

The ROK leader noted that Trump recognized the need for an inter-Korean summit and the possibility for a trilateral summit among the three leaders of ROK, the DPRK and the United States though it was subject to the DPRK leader's determination.

Moon welcomed and expressed high regard for Kim's policy speech in which the DPRK leader showed his willingness to resume the DPRK-US dialogue and hold a third DPRK-US summit

Regarding the DPRK leader, Moon said Kim was re-elected as chairman of the State Affairs Commission at the SPA and declared his firm commitment towards achieving denuclearization and building peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Moon welcomed and expressed high regard for Kim's policy speech in which the DPRK leader showed his willingness to resume the DPRK-US dialogue and hold a third DPRK-US summit.

Conditions were met for Moon and Kim to hold another summit as the DPRK leader showed his willingness to keep the dialogue momentum, the ROK president noted.

READ MORE: DPRK: US expresses cautious optimism for 3rd summit

Moon said he would spare no effort to ensure that the upcoming inter-Korean summit would be a stepping stone for an even bigger opportunity and a more significant outcome in the peninsula's peace process.

He added that his country would fully carry out the duty of building peace on the peninsula, which includes creating a virtuous cycle between inter-Korean and DPRK-US relations and strengthening the international society's support and cooperation.

Earlier on Wednesday, Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said for dialogue to continue and make headway, the key is to address the legitimate concerns of the parties concerned in a balanced manner, and advance denuclearization and the establishment of a peace mechanism for the peninsula by following a phased approach with synchronized steps as a package solution.

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