Special Advisor Moon Jung-in: "If the US Cannot Resolve North Korea's Nuclear Issue, Second and Third Methods Are Needed"

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Kim Bong-su] Moon Jung-in, Special Advisor to the President for Unification, Foreign Affairs, and Security, said on the 9th (local time), "Dialogue between North Korea and the U.S. is the most important, but if it does not work out, a second or third method will be necessary." This is interpreted as emphasizing that the U.S. should explore various approaches rather than trying to resolve the North Korean issue unilaterally.

After a private meeting of the Korea Society held in New York on the same day, Moon met with correspondents and said, "South Korea needs to create a new breakthrough with North Korea."

He particularly commented on the recent resolution submitted by China and Russia to the United Nations (UN) Security Council to ease sanctions on North Korea, saying, "If supplemented and North Korea takes corresponding measures, it could be a viable card," and added, "There has been no progress with the U.S. trying to do everything alone, and if other actors are blocked and a catastrophic outcome occurs, it is truly worrisome." He emphasized, "This is a matter of survival for us."

On the 6th (local time), at the Semaan event held by the U.S. Institute for National Interest in Washington DC, Moon also mentioned that the U.S. needs to be more flexible in North Korea-U.S. negotiations and that including North Korea’s denuclearization measures in the UN sanctions relief plan promoted by China and Russia could create a breakthrough.

However, Moon reported that the reaction from U.S. officials to these claims was negative. He said, "A former State Department official said, 'The U.S. does not outsource its foreign policy,'" and pointed out, "It is time for the U.S. to change its mindset. Just because the U.S. says it cannot be done does not mean other countries cannot do it. It is time for the U.S. to outsource its foreign policy as well."

Moon further argued that South Korea should play the role of a 'facilitator' rather than just a 'mediator' in the North Korean nuclear issue this year. He said, "If inter-Korean relations improve and President Moon and Chairman Kim meet again, a joint plan will emerge and persuading the U.S. will become possible," adding that North Korea-U.S. relations will also enter a virtuous cycle. He continued, "So far, the approach has been North Korea-U.S. first, believing that if North Korea-U.S. relations improve, inter-Korean and South Korea-U.S. relations will also improve, but since that has not been resolved, the diplomatic step is to at least improve inter-Korean relations."

Moon especially noted, "The only diplomatic achievement that President Donald Trump can present in the election is the North Korean nuclear negotiations," and added, "Despite rising tensions with Iran, I understand that there is still significant interest in the North Korean nuclear negotiations."

Regarding international sanctions on North Korea, he said, "After contacting UN officials, I heard skepticism that sanctions only bring humanitarian crises but do not lead to behavioral changes in the North Korean regime, and voices calling for a groundbreaking change in approach," and urged, "Until now, cooperation with the U.S. was the top priority, so research on sanctions evasion was not done and even if it existed, it was not discussed, but since President Moon indicated a direction in his New Year's address, the Ministry of Unification and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should come up with solutions."

Regarding the recent request by Harry Harris, U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, for dispatching troops to the Strait of Hormuz, Moon dismissed it as "an unreasonable demand at this point." Referring to Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha’s remark the previous day that "we cannot always align with the U.S. position," he said, "The form of the battlefield is not established, so where would we send troops? We do not know where or how the fighting will occur. There is also the threat from North Korea, so we cannot send active-duty soldiers." He added, "If the conflict and combat form between Iran and the U.S. become concrete, the U.S. will request, and then we can decide. Asking to send troops before a war even breaks out is an unreasonable request," expressing a cautious stance on troop dispatch.

Moon emphasized his role by saying, "I am a scholar and an unofficial appointee, and I speak what I want to say," and asked that his statements be seen as his personal views as a scholar, not the official position of the government.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.