Moon says world will judge if North Korea-US talks fail
South Korean president hopes both countries will honour agreement reached by their leaders
Amonth after President Trump and Kim Jong-un held a historic summit in Singapore, South Korea’s Moon Jae-in made his own visit to the city this week — even stopping by the iconic Marina Bay Sands on Thursday evening to take selfies like his North Korean counterpart did on June 11.
The South Korean president offered a positive assessment of ongoing US-North Korea talks while in the city, downplaying recent tension and miscommunication between the two sides.
“I believe the countries will honour the agreement reached by their leaders even if they face many difficulties during working-level negotiations,” Moon said after a special lecture hosted by the Institute of Southeast
Moon said his faith in the negotiations was because the leaders of the two countries had met directly and reached an agreement in public. Asian Studies
Must keep promises
yesterday.
However, if the United States or North Korea failed to “keep the promises made by their leaders in front of the international community, they will have to face the judgement of the international community,” the South added.
Moon arrived in Singapore on Wednesday for a three-day visit, the first by a South Korean president since 2003. The trip is part of the South Korean government’s New Southern Policy, which aims to strengthen ties with countries in Southeast Asia and other nations like India. Moon also held a summit with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien on Thursday.
But the South Korean leader’s time in Singapore also coincided Korean president with renewed tensions in US-North Korea talks. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had visited North Korea last week in a bid to make progress toward denuclearisation, a stated goal for US negotiators.
After Pompeo left Pyongyang, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry released a critical statement that described the stance of US officials as “regrettable” and condemned their focus on nuclear weapons.