Accra, June 20, (UPI/GNA) – South Korean
President Moon Jae-in called the U.S.-North Korea summit a great success that
went beyond his expectation.
He expressed the hope that measures taken
after the summit, including the suspension of the U.S.-South Korea joint
military drills, could bring further peace talks in the region.
“The North and the South stopped
broadcasting propaganda on the border. The South and the U.S. temporarily put
off joint military drills, and now a peace process is underway. Such peaceful
steps may lay the foundation to further bolster dialogue between the parties
concerned,” Moon told Russian media outlets Wednesday.
Moon also called on North Korea to take
necessary steps to fulfil its commitment for denuclearization while the United States
offers “comprehensive security guarantees.”
He also urged both sides to take necessary
steps “as soon as possible” to keep the diplomatic momentum going
following the historic summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S.
President Donald Trump on June 12 in Singapore.
The agreement announced after the summit has
met with criticism that it fell short of showing detailed measures and a
timeline for denuclearization, raising doubts that it would repeat past
mistakes in efforts for resolving North Korean nuclear issues.
Moon hoped to begin a trilateral cooperation
among the North, South and Russia in railway infrastructure and gas and
electronics energy distribution as soon as the South-North peace regime is
established, Yonhap reported.
After the North and South reconnect the
disjointed railways, it could be linked to the Trans-Siberian Railway network
to facilitate freight transportation from Korea to Europe. Such railway
cooperation would bring economic benefits to the two Koreas and Russia, Moon
said.
The Panmunjom Declaration signed by Moon and
Kim on April 28 mentions linking disjointed railway networks between the North
and South as part of inter-Korean exchanges.
“Gas from Russia can be distributed to
the North and to the South through an underground pipe and further can reach to
Japan via a sub-sea gas pipeline,” Moon said. “This would work the
same for the distribution of electronics produced in Russia. I believe it would
bring co-prosperity to the Eurasia region.”
Moon will visit Russia on Thursday through
Sunday, the first state visit by a South Korean president to Russia in 19
years. Moon is scheduled to address at the lower house of the Russian
parliament on Thursday.
GNA