Moon Shouting for 'Korean Peninsula Peace' in Europe... Will the 'End-of-War Declaration' Gain Momentum?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] President Moon Jae-in, who embarked on a 9-day, 7-night European tour coinciding with the G20 Summit and the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), will return home on the 5th. During this tour, President Moon proposed a visit to North Korea to the Pope and secured support for a declaration of the end of the war from the Visegr?d Group (V4) countries, drawing attention to whether discussions on the declaration of the end of the war will gain momentum toward the end of his term.

On the 4th (local time) in Budapest, Hungary, just before returning home, President Moon posted on social media, "At the G20 Summit and COP26, I once again felt that the world is paying attention to us. I confirmed strong support for peace on the Korean Peninsula."

The total flight distance for this tour was 22,800 km, with a flight time of 29 hours and 25 minutes. A notable achievement was confirming international support for peace on the Korean Peninsula. President Moon held a private meeting with Pope Francis and requested a visit to North Korea. The Pope also expressed willingness, stating, "If I receive an invitation, I would gladly visit North Korea for peace on the Korean Peninsula."

He also discussed peace on the Korean Peninsula with leaders of major countries. At the G20 Summit, he emphasized the early resumption of South-North-US talks to French President Emmanuel Macron, and met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to ask for their support and backing for peace on the Korean Peninsula. The joint statement adopted immediately after the V4 summit, held during his state visit to Hungary, included the V4’s welcoming of South Korea’s proposal for a declaration of the end of the war.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Attention is focused on whether the declaration of the end of the war, which had been stalled, will gain momentum as a result of this tour’s achievements. A Blue House official said, "This is the first time that Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party, has publicly mentioned the declaration of the end of the war," expressing expectations for progress on the declaration.

However, with the U.S. position unchanged, the possibility of realizing President Moon’s hopes based solely on international support for the declaration of the end of the war is low. During this tour, President Moon had a brief meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden without a separate summit and only conveyed the Pope’s willingness to visit North Korea. Whether the Pope’s visit will materialize remains uncertain. Blue House spokesperson Park Kyung-mi hinted that the possibility of the Pope visiting North Korea during President Moon’s term is low, mentioning that the Pope is from a "warm country (Argentina)."

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