South Korea urges calm over the North

‘ We cannot have a war on the Korean Peninsula ever again’: Moon

South Korean President Moon Jae- in called Monday for calm in the standoff with North Korea, saying there should never be another war on the peninsula.

Tensions have fl ared since US President Donald Trump, responding to the North’s latest missile tests, warned it of “fi re and fury like the world has never seen.”

The North in turn threatened to test- fi re its missiles toward the US Pacifi c island of Guam.

The war of words has sparked global alarm, with world leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping urging calm on both sides.

Moon, a left- leaning leader who has previously advocated dialogue with the North, urged it to “stop all provocations and hostile rhetoric immediately, instead of worsening the situation any further.”

He also indirectly urged the US – the South’s key ally and security guarantor – to resolve the crisis peacefully.

“Our top priority is the national interest of the Republic of Korea [ South Korea] and our national interest lies in peace,” Moon told advisers in a meeting.

“We cannot have a war on the Korean Peninsula ever again,” he said. The 1950- 53 confl ict cost more than a million lives, left cities in ruins and perpetuated the division of the peninsula.

“I am confi dent that the US will respond to the current situation in a calm and responsible manner in line with our policy direction,” Moon said.

Moon Monday also met General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff , who is visiting Seoul as part of a trip which will also include China and Japan.

According to Moon’s spokesperson, Dunford said in the meeting that the US would only consider military action against North Korea if all diplomatic and economic sanctions failed.

“He said everyone was hop- ing to solve the current situation without a war,” spokesman Park Su- hyun said, adding that Dunford stressed Washington would closely coordinate with Seoul over any future action.

The latest US and North Korean sabre- rattling has sparked concern that a miscalculation by either side could trigger a catastrophic confl ict, although many analysts voice doubts over such a prospect.