South Korean President Moon Jae-in called on the “spirit” of the United Nations to help him achieve his long-term goal of “permanent peace” with North Korea, an objective he has so far failed to achieve since his rise to power in 2017, in his speech to the General Assembly on Tuesday.
Virtually addressing the Assembly, which canceled in-person appearances as a result of the Chinese coronavirus pandemic, the South Korean leader called on the inter-governmental body to support his “relentless efforts” at reconciliation with the North.
“The region in most urgent need of the spirit of the U.N. to realize world peace is the Korean Peninsula,” he said. “The Republic of Korea has been steadfast in seeking inter-Korean reconciliation and is making relentless efforts to achieve denuclearization and establish permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.”
“With the support and encouragement extended by the international community, Korea was able to successfully host the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games as Peace Olympics joined by North Korea, and it led to three inter-Korean summit meetings,” he continued. “The U.S.-North Korea summit brought by bold decisions from the leaders of the two sides proved that the peace process can progress through dialogue.”
Moon admitted that efforts to establish a permanent peace deal had “stalled,” despite the two sides at one point appearing to be on the verge of a breakthrough.
“At the U.N. General Assembly last year, I presented the three principles to resolve issues related to the Korean War — zero tolerance for war, a mutual security guarantee and prosperity, and set out my vision to transform the Demilitarized Zone into an international peace zone,” Moon explained.
“However, peace on the Korean Peninsula is still in the making and changes that used to brimming with hopes have stalled,” he admitted. “Yet, the Republic of Korea will continue the dialogue. What all of us need to do is to take one more step forward. My belief remains unchanged that we can achieve denuclearization and bring lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula with the international community’s continued support and cooperation.”
During his speech, Moon did not make any reference to the United States, one of four parties to the Korean War, along with China and North Korea. As no warring parties ever signed a peace deal, the Korean War is still technically ongoing, turning 70 years old this year.
Having initially appeared to be on the brink of active war, President Donald Trump has held two historic meetings with North Korean dictator Km Jong-un during his tenure.
Following the meeting, the two men made various agreements about bringing hostilities to an end. However, Pyongyang has failed to abide by its pledge to stop its aggressions, instead continuing to carry out research and missile tests related to their nuclear program.
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