Pres. Moon urges public support for inter-Korean dialogue

Pres. Moon urges public support for inter-Korean dialogue. January. 23, 2018 07:57. by Sang-Jun Han alwaysj@donga.com.

President Moon Jae-in called for support of Korean citizens in “keeping the inter-Korean dialogue opportunity alive by protecting it like a candlelight against the wind” on Tuesday. The remarks came amid growing public criticism over various issues regarding the participation of North Korea in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

“We are now facing a precious opportunity to peacefully resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula,” said President Moon in a meeting with senior aides at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.

“The dialogue came dramatically when the inter-Korean relationship was at its worst since the Korean War and the possibility of another war on the peninsula was looming,” said Moon. “However, the current condition is so fragile that no one should be optimistic about how long this atmosphere will last.”

“If it ends at that, we will have no way of knowing how difficult the problems we may face in our foreign and security relations in the future, and creating another opportunity for dialogue will not be easy,” the liberal leader added.

He called on politicians and the media to lend their support at least for the successful hosting of the PyeongChang Olympic Games, and also asked North Korea to make efforts, stressing the need for the two Koreas to walk in each other’s shoes to overcome difficulties one by one.