President Moon: "Kim Jong-un Has Willingness for Denuclearization... Ready to Meet Anytime, Anywhere" (Comprehensive)

"North Korean Nuclear Weapons and Missiles Can Be Adequately Defended"
"In Sync with Biden... Working Together to Resolve North Korean Nuclear Issue"

President Moon Jae-in is responding to a reporter's question at the New Year's press conference held at the Blue House Chuncheon Hall on the 18th.

President Moon Jae-in said on the 18th that he believes Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, has a clear will for denuclearization and is willing to meet anytime and anywhere.

At a New Year's press conference held at the Blue House Chuncheon Hall that day, President Moon said, "I believe Chairman (General Secretary) Kim Jong-un has a clear will for peace, dialogue, and denuclearization." He added, "What North Korea demands is a firm guarantee of regime security from the United States and normalization of North Korea-US relations."

President Moon said, "This position of North Korea was already agreed upon in the joint declaration during the first North Korea-US summit in Singapore," adding, "The issue is how to concretely and step-by-step implement those agreed principles, and because no agreement was reached on this, the Hanoi North Korea-US summit ended in failure."

Although North Korea clearly stated its policy of strengthening nuclear forces through the 8th Party Congress, President Moon did not lose hope for dialogue and negotiation.

President Moon said, "I think North Korea's enhancement of nuclear capabilities and strengthening of various weapons systems came out in a situation where denuclearization and peace-building talks have not yet been concluded," adding, "If dialogue for denuclearization and the establishment of a peace regime proceeds successfully, I believe these issues can be resolved together."

On the 18th, citizens are watching the live broadcast of President Moon Jae-in's New Year's press conference in the Seoul Station waiting room. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

◆"In sync with Biden... Working together to resolve North Korea's nuclear issue"

President Moon said, "The new Biden administration in the United States is known to prefer a bottom-up approach rather than a top-down approach in negotiations," adding, "If North Korea and the US engage in more rapid and close dialogue to concretize the principles agreed upon in Singapore, I believe it is a problem that can be sufficiently solved."

He also said, "The Biden administration and the South Korean government share many similarities in values and policy directions, and there are parts where we feel the so-called 'code' is the same, so I have expectations that the Korea-US relationship will make greater progress." He expressed confidence in close Korea-US cooperation on the North Korean nuclear issue.

President Moon said, "During the Kim Dae-jung administration, South Korea cooperated well with the US Democratic Party government, and we have experience of significant progress in inter-Korean relations at that time." He added, "We are making efforts to ensure that the North Korean issue does not fall to a lower priority in US diplomacy but remains a priority."

◆"Kim Jong-un's reciprocal visit is agreed upon between North and South... Hope it will happen"

At the same time, President Moon expressed confidence in preparing for North Korea's military buildup. He said, "South Korea-US intelligence agencies are always closely analyzing the parts where North Korea's weapons systems are being enhanced," adding, "South Korea has sufficient systems to defend against North Korea's nuclear weapons and missiles. If there are deficiencies, we will surely supplement them."

President Moon mentioned Kim Jong-un's reciprocal visit, saying, "South Korea will do its best to find solutions," and "Kim Jong-un's visit to the South is an agreement between North and South, and I hope it will happen someday."

He continued, "However, I do not think it is necessary to insist that Kim Jong-un's visit must happen first," adding, "I am willing to meet Kim Jong-un anytime and anywhere, and as meetings between the two Koreas' leaders continue and trust builds, I believe that Kim Jong-un's reciprocal visit to the South will eventually take place."

On the 18th, citizens are watching the live broadcast of President Moon Jae-in's New Year's press conference in the Seoul Station waiting room. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

◆"There are inter-Korean cooperation projects that can avoid UN sanctions"

President Moon also reaffirmed his commitment to inter-Korean cooperation projects. He said, "Because inter-Korean relations are within the framework of UN sanctions, there are clearly obstacles that prevent us from freely conducting various cooperation projects between North and South," but added, "There are cooperation projects that do not violate sanctions or receive exceptions from sanctions that can be carried out between North and South."

President Moon added, "If North and South Korea carry out projects that can be done through dialogue and cooperation to the maximum extent possible, it will not only help develop inter-Korean relations but also serve as a driving force to advance North Korea-US dialogue."