South Korea's President Moon Jae-in said Thursday that the outcome of his envoys' North Korea trip “was a big step toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
South Korea's President Moon Jae-in, however, said that a full nuclear disarmament of the Korean Peninsula would be a distant target.
“We've overcome one critical moment. But there are many critical moments that we still have to go through before reaching the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and a permanent peace,” Moon said in a meeting with church leaders.
The South Korean leader added that North’s proposal for talks was not enough for denuclearization, stressing “a strong support” by the US government was needed to achieve the goal.
The remarks came as Seoul has dispatched two senior officials to Washington to brief the White House on the outcome of their recent visit to North Korea.
Pyongyang announced its readiness for such negotiations during a recent visit by a South Korean delegation, with authorities saying they would even engage in talks with the United States to discuss the country’s nuclear program.
Washington has long included itself in the Korean dispute. It has heavy military presence in the region and uses North Korea’s ballistic and nuclear programs as a pretext to constantly threaten Pyongyang with military action.
That military posture has concerned the North, which says it needs to advance its weapons program to protect itself against potential US military action.
