Moon says he will discuss Korea peace with ASEAN leaders in Busan
SEOUL: South Korean President Moon Jae In said Monday he hopes for “in-depth discussions” about the Korea peace process with the leaders of 10 Southeast Asian countries during an upcoming group summit to be held in Busan, calling them “reliable friends and advisers” regarding the issue.
“There still remain critical junctures for peace on the Korean Peninsula,” he pointed out in a contribution to the Asia News Network (ANN), a coalition of two dozen major news organisations based in South Korea and 20 other Asian nations, including the ASEAN members, Yonhap news agency reported.
The president contributed the op-ed piece a week ahead of the opening of the two-day ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit to take place in the southern port city, which is his hometown.
He’s also planning to hold bilateral summits with his counterparts from all the participating nations.
Moon’s view came amid expectations that North Korea and the United States will soon resume working-level nuclear talks in a bid to pave the way for a third summit between the two sides.
Peace in Korea, he said, is closely related to stability throughout East Asia and ASEAN member states have actively helped advance peace through “dialogue and mutual understanding” over the past decades.
He added he believes they will also “join in the journey toward establishing permanent peace on the Peninsula as reliable friends and advisers.”
“I am looking forward to in-depth discussions about peace on the Peninsula and in East Asia taking place at the upcoming summits as well,” Moon said.
ASEAN’s basic principle — consensus through dialogue and consultation — provides many lessons for Korea, in particular, he noted.
— BERNAMA
