Moon Jae-in invites Putin to “visit South Korea in the nearest possible future”

Posted on : 2019-04-26 16:32 KST Modified on : 2019-04-26 16:32 KST
Secretary of the Security Council of Russia visits Seoul during NK-Russia summit
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Nikolai Patrushev
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Nikolai Patrushev

While the North Korea-Russia summit was taking place in Vladivostok, South Korean President Moon Jae-in shared his hope that Russian President Vladimir Putin will “visit South Korea in the nearest possible future” in an Apr. 25 meeting with Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Security Council of Russia.

In a 45-minute meeting in the Blue House that day, Moon told Patrushev that he “hope[s] to meet with President Putin at the G20 summit taking place in Osaka this June,” Blue House Spokesperson Ko Min-jung reported.

Moon was also quoted as saying, “I look forward to the North Korea-Russia summit that took place today serving as a foundation for resuming North Korea-US talks and promoting the Korean Peninsula denuclearization process.”

“I anticipate that this summit will contribute constructively to the Korean Peninsula’s complete denuclearization and establishment of permanent peace,” he reportedly said, adding that he “respects President Putin’s strong commitment and active efforts toward a political and diplomatic resolution to Korean Peninsula issues.” Patrushev is head of the Security Council of Russia – the equivalent to South Korea’s National Security Council – and is reportedly a confidant of Putin’s.

In response, Patrushev was quoted as telling Moon that Russia and South Korea “share the same goals of complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of peace,” adding that he would “promptly share the results of the North Korea-Russia summit via diplomatic channels.” Ko also reported that Patrushev “explained in detail about Russia and China’s joint action plan.”

“In response, Moon said, ‘The urgent order of business is resuming North Korea-US dialogue and promoting denuclearization.’ He also said that because the joint action plan requires ample discussions with the US, Russia should also discuss the matter extensively with Washington,” Ko said.

When asked whether Russia had proposed the Six-Party Talks framework to achieve North Korea’s denuclearization, Ko said there was “no mention at all of the Six-Party Talks,” adding that she could “not share specifics about Russia and China’s joint action plan.”

By Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporter

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]

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