President Moon's 3rd Anniversary Speech Mentions North Korea in 'Just One Line'... "Communication Is Ongoing" (Update)

Moon: "Inter-Korean and North Korea-US communication, though not smooth, continues without interruption"... Emphasizing mutual trust and willingness to dialogue

President Moon Jae-in is answering questions from the press after delivering a special national address on the third anniversary of his inauguration at the Chuncheon Hall of the Blue House on the morning of the 10th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] In a special speech by President Moon Jae-in on the occasion of his 3rd anniversary in office on the 10th, the mention of North Korea was limited to just one line. Emphasizing 'Human Security' based on solidarity and cooperation in the face of threats to safety such as disasters and diseases, he stated, "I hope that the South and the North will cooperate on human security to become one life community and move toward a peace community." However, President Moon stressed that dialogue with North Korea is "not smooth but ongoing."

After delivering the special speech at 11 a.m. at the Press Center, President Moon responded to questions from reporters regarding the extremely limited mention of North Korea in his speech, saying, "Please understand that today I did not talk about the entire state affairs but focused on measures to overcome the various economic crises and national difficulties we are currently facing."

He added, "As you know, communication between South and North Korea and between North Korea and the U.S. is not smooth," but "communication has not been cut off and continues. Through this, trust and willingness to dialogue between South-North and North Korea-U.S. are being confirmed."

President Moon explained, "So far, South and North Korea have prioritized promoting North Korea-U.S. dialogue," adding, "If the North Korea-U.S. dialogue is concluded, many obstacles hindering exchanges and cooperation between South and North Korea will be resolved at once, allowing South-North relations to accelerate." He continued, "However, the North Korea-U.S. dialogue remains sluggish contrary to initial expectations, and it is uncertain when it will yield results," noting, "Especially considering the U.S. political schedule, this is even more so." The U.S. is preparing for the presidential election in November, with President Donald Trump seeking re-election.

Considering this situation, President Moon said, "Now, instead of only looking at the North Korea-U.S. dialogue, we should find and pursue what can be done between South and North Korea," explaining, "There are projects that do not violate existing UN Security Council sanctions, and some that may violate but can receive exemption approval, so we aim to carry out such projects together."

President Moon expressed regret, saying, "Existing proposals such as South-North railway connection, making the Demilitarized Zone an international peace zone, individual tourism, reunions of separated families, visits to hometowns by displaced persons, and joint excavation of remains are all still valid," but "North Korea has not yet responded to these." However, he acknowledged, "I think North Korea is facing various difficulties due to COVID-19," and judged, "Since international exchanges and diplomacy are generally halted, we cannot keep pressuring North Korea continuously." He reiterated his determination, saying, "We will continue dialogue and persuasion so that our proposals will be accepted by North Korea as soon as COVID-19 subsides."

President Moon Jae-in is answering questions from reporters after delivering a special national address on the third anniversary of his inauguration at the Chuncheon Hall of the Blue House on the morning of the 10th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

In his commemorative speech for the '101st Anniversary of the March 1st Independence Movement,' President Moon also proposed 'joint cooperation in the health sector' toward North Korea. Regarding this, he said, "Both South and North Korea are making great efforts to respond to the COVID-19 situation," and reiterated, "Even if both succeed in responding to COVID-19, many experts predict a second pandemic will come again, so in preparation for that, cooperation and coordination in infectious disease prevention between South and North Korea would help the health and safety of all people on both sides."

President Moon explained, "Cooperation in quarantine is not only for COVID-19 but also for other human infectious diseases like malaria," adding, "Livestock infectious diseases such as African swine fever can also spread across the Demilitarized Zone, so cooperating and coordinating in these areas is a very practical project. It does not violate Security Council sanctions and actively promotes the health and well-being of all South and North Koreans, so it should be prioritized."

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