South Korean President Moon Jae-in reiterated that he was willing to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un even as he condemned the North’s first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test launch this week as a “reckless” move that incurred punishment by the international community.
In a speech on Thursday ahead of the G20 summit in Germany, Moon also proposed that the two Koreas resume reunions of families separated by war, stop hostile activities along their heavily fortified border and cooperate on next year’s Winter Olympics to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
However, it was unclear whether North Korea would accept any of Moon’s overtures, as South Korea is working with the US and others to have Pyongyang punished for its ICBM launch on Tuesday.
Photo: AP
It is not the first time Moon has talked about a summit with Kim, but repeating that idea two days after the North’s most successful missile test to date clearly indicates he prefers dialogue to applying more pressure or sanctions on the North.
“The current situation where there is no contact between the relevant officials of the South and the North is highly dangerous,” Moon said. “I am ready to meet with Chairman Kim Jong-un of North Korea at any time at any place, if the conditions are met and if it will provide an opportunity to transform the tension and confrontation on the Korean Peninsula.”
US President Donald Trump said he was considering unspecified “pretty severe things” in response to the North’s ICBM launch.
While a pre-emptive military strike might be among Trump’s potential options, analysts say it is one of the unlikeliest, because the North Korean retaliation would cause massive casualties in South Korea, particularly in Seoul, which is within easy range of the North’s artillery.
Moon said he and Kim could put all issues on the negotiating table, including the North’s nuclear program and the signing of a peace treaty to officially end the 1950-1953 Korean War.
An armistice that ended the war has yet to be completed with a peace treaty, leaving the Korean Peninsula in a technical state of war.
Since taking office in May, Moon has been trying to improve ties with North Korea, but his efforts have produced little, with the North testing a series of newly developed missiles.
“I hope that North Korea will not cross the bridge of no return,” Moon said on Thursday. “Whether it will come out to the forum for dialogue, or whether it will kick away this opportunity of dialogue that has been made with difficulty is only a decision that North Korea can make.”
The ICBM launch has stoked security worries, as it showed that the North could eventually perfect a reliable nuclear missile capable of reaching anywhere in the US.
Analysts say the reach of the missile tested on Tuesday could extend to Alaska.
After the launch, Kim said he would never put his weapons programs up for negotiation unless the US abandons its hostile policy toward his country.
Kim’s statement suggested he will order more missile and nuclear tests until North Korea develops a functioning ICBM that can place the entire US within its striking distance.
In a show of force against North Korea, South Korea and the US staged “deep strike” precision missile firing drills on Wednesday.
In North Korea’s capital, thousands of people on Thursday rallied in Kim Il-sung square to celebrate the launch.
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