S. Korea looks to jumpstart diplomacy

SEOUL, South Korea — In an effort to jumpstart diplomacy, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said today he would consider sending a special envoy to North Korea for talks if the North stops its missile and nuclear tests.

He also declared, amid fears in South Korea that threats from President Donald Trump to unleash “fire and fury” on Pyongyang could lead to real fighting, that there would be no second war on the Korean Peninsula.

“The people worked together to rebuild the country from the Korean War, and we cannot lose everything again because of a war,” Moon said in a nationally televised news conference. “I can confidently say there will not be a war again on the Korean Peninsula.”

Moon’s comments follow a spike in animosity generated by North Korea’s warning that it might send missiles into waters near the U.S. territory of Guam, and Trump’s warlike language. Both Koreas and the United States have signaled in recent days, however, a willingness to avert a deepening crisis, with each suggesting a path toward negotiations.

Trump tweeted early Wednesday that Kim had “made a very wise and well reasoned decision,” amid indications North Korea was still reviewing its plans on launching multiple missiles toward Guam.

“The alternative would have been both catastrophic and unacceptable!” Trump wrote.

Next week’s start of U.S.South Korean military exercises that enrage the North each year could make diplomacy even more difficult.