President Moon wraps up ASEAN meetings, meets Abe again for discussions
- 4 years ago
All in all, it was a productive whistle-stop stay in Bangkok for President Moon Jae-in.
Watchers say, the president's most notable achievement in Thailand was creating the momentum for fresh talks between South Korea and Japan by meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Our Park Hee-jun reports from Bangkok. President Moon Jae-in returns home Tuesday after wrapping up his three-day trip to Thailand where he attended the ASEAN Plus Three and related regional forums.
One of President Moon's biggest achievements during his stay rekindling the possibility of improving South Korea-Japan ties after months of tensions centered around trade and their shared history.
In Bangkok on Monday, President Moon held an unplanned 11-minute-long discussion with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe - their first official sitdown in 13 months.
He proposed high-level dialogue as an option possibly implying the annual trilateral summit involving China that's scheduled for December.
President Moon is likely to have initiated the talks, recognizing the need to improve relations before their military intel-sharing pact known as GSOMIA expires on November 22nd.
On the ASEAN stage, however, the president remained firm in his stance that free trade principles must be protected an indirect criticism of Tokyo's economic retaliation involving export restrictions against tech-related materials needed by South Korean firms.
"There's a long journey ahead to restoring bilateral ties,.. but it's considered a significant start. With the leaders having agreed to resolve their issues through dialogue,... concrete progress now depends on how they work around their conflict over GSOMIA, trade restrictions, and wartime forced labor."
President Moon also reaffirmed his determination to achieve lasting peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.
He called for support from ASEAN members who are seen as essential partners in the peace process since they have diplomatic ties with both Koreas.
The South Korean leader also devoted much of his energy to garnering the support of Southeast Asian nations for the Korea-ASEAN and Korea-Mekong summits, taking place in Korea's southern city of Busan later this month.
Park Hee-jun, Arirang News, Bangkok.
Watchers say, the president's most notable achievement in Thailand was creating the momentum for fresh talks between South Korea and Japan by meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Our Park Hee-jun reports from Bangkok. President Moon Jae-in returns home Tuesday after wrapping up his three-day trip to Thailand where he attended the ASEAN Plus Three and related regional forums.
One of President Moon's biggest achievements during his stay rekindling the possibility of improving South Korea-Japan ties after months of tensions centered around trade and their shared history.
In Bangkok on Monday, President Moon held an unplanned 11-minute-long discussion with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe - their first official sitdown in 13 months.
He proposed high-level dialogue as an option possibly implying the annual trilateral summit involving China that's scheduled for December.
President Moon is likely to have initiated the talks, recognizing the need to improve relations before their military intel-sharing pact known as GSOMIA expires on November 22nd.
On the ASEAN stage, however, the president remained firm in his stance that free trade principles must be protected an indirect criticism of Tokyo's economic retaliation involving export restrictions against tech-related materials needed by South Korean firms.
"There's a long journey ahead to restoring bilateral ties,.. but it's considered a significant start. With the leaders having agreed to resolve their issues through dialogue,... concrete progress now depends on how they work around their conflict over GSOMIA, trade restrictions, and wartime forced labor."
President Moon also reaffirmed his determination to achieve lasting peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.
He called for support from ASEAN members who are seen as essential partners in the peace process since they have diplomatic ties with both Koreas.
The South Korean leader also devoted much of his energy to garnering the support of Southeast Asian nations for the Korea-ASEAN and Korea-Mekong summits, taking place in Korea's southern city of Busan later this month.
Park Hee-jun, Arirang News, Bangkok.