Moon Jae-in says Trump needs his trademark resolve to lead North Korea–United States dialogue, warns of neglect amid Middle East war

[The Financial News] Former President Moon Jae-in has called on U.S. President Donald Trump to make a decisive push for North Korea–United States dialogue. He said that although attention from the United States and the international community is being diverted by the war in the Middle East, the Korean Peninsula issue must never be pushed down the priority list or left unattended.
In a statement marking the eighth anniversary of the Panmunjom summit on the 27th, Moon said, "There is no path other than diplomacy to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula," and asked Trump to show "his trademark resolve and wisdom to bring North Korea back to the table for dialogue."
He also argued that managing stability on the Korean Peninsula is the surest way to ease the burden on the United States and shift the global order toward one of peace. He described it as a core U.S. national interest and a turning point for world peace.
Moon added, "I hope that in Trump’s second term, he will complete the peace that was left unfinished during the first presidency of Donald Trump and demonstrate peace leadership that will be remembered in history."
He also urged Chairman Kim to join North Korea–United States dialogue. Moon said, "True security cannot be guaranteed by building up military power and raising walls of isolation and severance," and added, "Expanding communication and exchanges with the outside world is the most effective way to protect security." He pressed Chairman Kim to use improved inter-Korean relations, as they did eight years ago, as a bridge toward North Korea–United States dialogue. He said the two sides should return to the original spirit of the April 27, 2018 inter-Korean summit at Panmunjom and open the door to dialogue in a forward-looking way.
Moon said, "By explicitly setting out the first practical 'arms control agreement' since the Korean War, the Panmunjom Declaration laid the foundation for the 9·19 inter-Korean military agreement and includes a path toward a peace declaration and a peace treaty," adding that it also carries a grand vision for a Northeast Asia Economic and Peace Community.
He also explained that the Panmunjom Declaration was not the creation of the Moon Jae-in administration alone. He described it as the result of bringing together the achievements and aspirations of the public, from the July 4 South–North Joint Statement under the Park Chung Hee administration, to the Agreement on Reconciliation, Non-Aggression, and Exchanges and Cooperation between South and North Korea under the Roh Tae-woo administration, the June 15th North-South Joint Declaration under the Kim Dae-jung administration, and the 2007 North-South Summit Declaration under the Roh Moo-hyun administration.
However, he said the Korean Peninsula peace process was halted after the painful setback of the Hanoi no-deal summit between North Korea and the United States, North Korea’s complete lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s regressive North Korea policy. He added that the divide between the two Koreas has deepened further.
Moon advised that, to prevent clashes between the two Koreas, the inter-Korean military communication line and hotline should be restored immediately, and that minimal communication channels, including the Panmunjom communication channel and working-level contacts with the UNC, should be revived. He also said he hoped the 9·19 inter-Korean military agreement would be restored as soon as possible.
Moon said, "The formation of a North Korea–China–Russia grouping and the intensifying confrontation between the United States and China have made conditions for inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation even more difficult," adding, "At times like this, the South and the North must recognize each other's reality and boldly move toward a path of 'shared interests' that seeks common prosperity."
rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo Reporter