"New Government Must Strive to Restore Inter-Korean Dialogue Through Close Cooperation with the US"
President Moon Jae-in is having a special conversation with former JTBC anchor Sohn Suk-hee at Sangchunjae in the Blue House on the 15th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Woo-seok] On the 26th, President Moon Jae-in gave his assessments of former U.S. President Donald Trump, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un.
In the second episode of the special interview "Interview: Moon Jae-in's 5 Years," aired on JTBC, when asked about his thoughts on former President Trump, President Moon said, "I don't think it is appropriate for me to evaluate him as a leader within the U.S. or as a global leader," but added, "I think positively. As far as the relationship with Korea is concerned, I believe it was very good."
President Moon stated, "In fact, the North Korea-U.S. summits were not viewed favorably within the U.S. regarding negotiations with North Korea," and evaluated, "To risk that and to try to meet Kim Jong-un directly in a top-down manner without a practical agreement process, just the idea of persuading him, was quite a bold concept."
He continued, "There was one demand that was burdensome for us, which was to raise defense costs fivefold all at once. Naturally, we refused. It was unacceptable for us," and said, "In that regard, what was good about former President Trump was that although he made such demands, he never took it emotionally when I long refused to accept them. There was no retaliation or making other negotiations difficult. He clearly distinguished each issue, which I found very good."
When asked whether his evaluation of Chairman Kim was still positive, President Moon paused briefly and replied, "I will not evaluate. It is not appropriate to evaluate now."
He added, "(The past positive evaluation) was possible because he was a good dialogue partner at that time," and said, "Now, an ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) has been launched, which clearly crosses the red line and could be a signal to end dialogue."
He said, "It is not yet clear whether it will lead to a complete breakdown of dialogue," and emphasized, "I believe the new government should naturally make efforts to restore dialogue in close cooperation with the U.S., and North Korea should also return to the dialogue table quickly."
When asked what evaluation he would give to former Prime Minister Abe, he replied, "I have no personal ill feelings toward Prime Minister Abe," and said, "Personally, every time I met him, I felt he was a polite Japanese person, and I do not want to evaluate his leadership."
He asserted, "During the Abe administration, Korea-Japan relations worsened, and Japan's right-wing shift intensified. That seems clear."
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