Yoon Gun-young: "It's true that Biden wanted to meet Moon... Moon remained silent"

"White House Must Give Clear Answers" Claims of Reversing Previous Position
"Dispatching Special Envoy to North Korea Is Not a Matter to Discuss with the U.S. President"

Yoon Geon-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is explaining the proposed amendment to the Inter-Korean Relations Development Act at the National Assembly plenary session on December 13, 2020.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lee Gye-hwa] Yoon Gun-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated, "It is a clear fact that U.S. President Joe Biden contacted former President Moon Jae-in to meet."

On the 19th, on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' Rep. Yoon addressed the White House's statement that there were no plans to meet former President Moon, saying, "It is a clear fact that President Biden reached out to meet," and added, "What is clear is that President Moon remained still," implying that the White House reversed its previous position.

Initially, President Biden was scheduled to hold a '90-minute South Korea-U.S. summit' with President Yoon Suk-yeol at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the afternoon of the 21st, followed by a meeting with former President Moon the next day.

Regarding the reason for the White House's change in stance, Rep. Yoon said, "There are various speculations, but since the information I have is not complete, I am cautious," and added, "We need to verify the facts further."

Regarding the possibility of former President Moon serving as a 'special envoy to North Korea,' he said, "If the special envoy is appointed by the Republic of Korea government, the U.S. has no involvement. Especially, it is not something the U.S. president would discuss," and added, "The Yoon Suk-yeol administration should respond, and given the current COVID-19 situation in North Korea, it is not at all a condition to receive a special envoy."

Rep. Yoon also dismissed the host's question asking if President Biden canceled the meeting with former President Moon due to the emergence of Omicron in North Korea, saying, "I do not see it that way."