President Moon Jae-in says... North Korea and the U.S. must hold working-level discussions,... before any future summit between the two countries.
That was a key message he sent out during his tour of Scandinavian countries,... before returning to Korea on Sunday afternoon.
Shin Se-min reports.
President Moon Jae-in says working-level discussions are crucial for progress on the nuclear talks.
"By holding summit meetings based on progress made from the working-level talks, there can be no repeat of the second North Korea-U.S. summit in Hanoi that ended with no deal."
The president,… speaking on the last day of his stay in Sweden after a meeting with his Swedish counterpart added that the main actors of the nuclear talks have consistently expressed willingness for dialogue,… building up on the trust they have established.
And he added that discussions between the two Koreas are being held through various channels.
During his tour of Northern Europe, President Moon has been relentlessly sending out messages both to the parties related to the nuclear talks and to the international community.
Proposing a fourth inter-Korean summit meeting this month.
“President Trump is scheduled to visit South Korea at the end of June, but if possible, I think it is desirable to meet with Chairman Kim Jong-un before that visit.”
Calling for an early resumption of Pyeongyang-Washington talks.
"Even if momentum for dialogue is maintained, if there is a prolonged period of no discussions, then the desire to hold talks could fizzle out.”
And pressing hard for trust-based dialogue while urging for practical denuclearization steps.
"When North Korea makes sincere efforts, the international community will immediately respond. Sanctions will be lifted and the safety of the North will be guaranteed by the international community.”
With that,… the president wrapped up his eight-day tour of Scandinavia?by getting support for his peace drive from all three nations,… Finland, Norway and Sweden.
“Left on the president’s agenda after a week of North Korea-related messages,… looks to be a period of patience and composure,… perhaps with hopes of a response from Pyeongyang and the U.S. ahead of the G20 summit in Japan.
Shin Se-min, Arirang News, Stockholm.”