SEOUL, Feb 11, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The agreement for a second summit between
Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un was a “remarkable breakthrough” for peace
negotiations on the Korean peninsula, President Moon Jae-in said Monday, but
he acknowledged doubts remained over denuclearisation.
The US President and North Korean leader are due to meet in Hanoi from
February 27 to 28 following their landmark first summit in Singapore last
June.
That meeting — the first-ever between the leaders of the US and North
Korea — produced a vaguely-worded document in which Kim pledged to work
towards “the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula”.
But progress has since stalled with the two sides disagreeing over it
means and analysts say tangible progress on denuclearisation will be needed
if the talks are to avoid being dismissed as “reality TV”.
With the high-stakes summit now two weeks away, Pyongyang has yet to
provide any official confirmation of the meeting in the Vietnamese capital.
“For us, the era of peace and prosperity on the peninsula has drawn
closer,” said Moon in his first comments since the summit was announced.
The meeting was a “remarkable breakthrough in the peace process on the
Korean peninsula”, the South Korean president added.
But he acknowledged there were “still many doubts about whether the
denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and peace process can be concluded
successfully”.
The leaders of the two Koreas and the US have persisted in talks over the
issue because of “strong confidence in the direction history should take”,
added Moon, who has taken on the role of middle man between Pyongyang and
Washington, trying to bridge the gap on denuclearisation talks.
Security allies Seoul and Washington have at times pursued divergent
approaches toward Pyongyang, with the dovish South Korean leader pursuing
engagement while the United States insists pressure must be maintained until
the North denuclearises.
But Moon expressed gratitude to both Trump and Kim for their
“unprecedented, bold diplomatic efforts”, saying they were “crossing a sea of
deep mistrust”.