President Moon proposes turning DMZ into international peace zone
- 5 years ago
We begin this morning with the South Korean leader's address to the UN General Assembly.
President Moon Jae-in told the gathering of world leaders on Tuesday of his ambitious proposal to turn the heavily-fortified Demilitarized Zone into an international peace zone.
He also said his roadmap for the future of inter-Korean relations could open up a new era of lasting peace of the peninsula.
Our Shin Se-min reports from New York.
Turning the thin strip of land -- a place that is dotted with some 380-thousand landmines -- into an area of peace and reconciliation with the help of the international community.
President Moon Jae-in, standing before the delegations gathered at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, proposed remodeling the Demilitarized Zone into an international peace zone.
“If the DMZ becomes home to UN offices already stationed in the two Koreas as well as other international organizations related to peace, ecology and culture it will become a center for research on peace, peacekeeping, arms control and trust building. It can become an international peace zone in name as well as substance.”
The South Korean leader even hinted at designating the DMZ as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Such proposals are an extension to the promise already made by President Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their summit in April last year.
Stressing it will take South Korean troops alone 15 years to remove anti-personnel mines from the DMZ, President Moon called for international support and for other countries to be more accommodating to the North, if it takes steps worthy of reward.
“If North Korea makes sincere efforts to implement denuclearization, the international community should also reciprocate.”
President Moon also revisited the three essential principles that he sees as the keys to lasting peace.
One, zero tolerance for war. Two, a mutual security guarantee, and three, co-prosperity.
And he stressed that his administration is in favor of offering Pyeongyang the security guarantees it so desperately seeks.
“When the security of both sides is assured, it will become possible to accelerate denuclearization and the establishment of a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. ”
"By bringing in the international community into the Korean peace process action plan, the President is hoping to assure North Korea of its security guarantees,... and give a much needed boost in the peninsula's denuclearization drive.
Shin Se-min, Arirang News, New York."
President Moon Jae-in told the gathering of world leaders on Tuesday of his ambitious proposal to turn the heavily-fortified Demilitarized Zone into an international peace zone.
He also said his roadmap for the future of inter-Korean relations could open up a new era of lasting peace of the peninsula.
Our Shin Se-min reports from New York.
Turning the thin strip of land -- a place that is dotted with some 380-thousand landmines -- into an area of peace and reconciliation with the help of the international community.
President Moon Jae-in, standing before the delegations gathered at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, proposed remodeling the Demilitarized Zone into an international peace zone.
“If the DMZ becomes home to UN offices already stationed in the two Koreas as well as other international organizations related to peace, ecology and culture it will become a center for research on peace, peacekeeping, arms control and trust building. It can become an international peace zone in name as well as substance.”
The South Korean leader even hinted at designating the DMZ as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Such proposals are an extension to the promise already made by President Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their summit in April last year.
Stressing it will take South Korean troops alone 15 years to remove anti-personnel mines from the DMZ, President Moon called for international support and for other countries to be more accommodating to the North, if it takes steps worthy of reward.
“If North Korea makes sincere efforts to implement denuclearization, the international community should also reciprocate.”
President Moon also revisited the three essential principles that he sees as the keys to lasting peace.
One, zero tolerance for war. Two, a mutual security guarantee, and three, co-prosperity.
And he stressed that his administration is in favor of offering Pyeongyang the security guarantees it so desperately seeks.
“When the security of both sides is assured, it will become possible to accelerate denuclearization and the establishment of a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. ”
"By bringing in the international community into the Korean peace process action plan, the President is hoping to assure North Korea of its security guarantees,... and give a much needed boost in the peninsula's denuclearization drive.
Shin Se-min, Arirang News, New York."