President Moon Jae-in engaged in phone diplomacy with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at his office in the main building of Cheong Wa Dae for 20 minutes from 5:45 this afternoon.

Prime Minister Abe thanked the President for accepting his request for a telephone conversation, saying he called the President to discuss how to closely work together regarding North Korea’s missile launches. He further explained that the North Korean issue was dealt with seriously at the recent G7 Summit in Italy with a shared understanding that it poses a major threat to Northeast Asia and the rest of the world.

He elaborated on discussions at the G7 Summit saying that the North Korean nuclear issue was confirmed as the top priority among many international affairs to be addressed and that an agreement was reached that its nuclear program must be dismantled in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner. However, after two days, he added, the North fired another missile for the third week in a row. He continued to say that it constituted a challenge to the international community and should never be tolerated, stressing that Japan protested against North Korea and condemned the launch in the strongest possible terms. He made it clear that the only way to make the North take a sincere attitude is for China and the United States to put economic and military pressure, respectively, and that he believed now is not the time for dialogue. He went on to argue that a strong request must be made for China to stop its supply of oil and petrochemical products to the North and, if that failed, North Korea would not get serious about this issue. He continued to unveil his plan that Japan would take concrete actions to curb the North Korean nuclear threat and that his country would further bolster security cooperation with the United States and South Korea.

The Prime Minister said that, no matter what messages countries send to the North, it was clear that the North would push ahead with its nuclear development as they had planned. Saying that a dialogue with the North just for the sake of a dialogue is meaningless, he emphasized it was high time to take concrete actions. He also said that the countries concerned must not be exploited by its delaying tactics. The Prime Minister continued to say that the South had to play a leading role in pressuring the North while Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation and international efforts, including through the United Nations, had to be also pursued. He expressed his hope that President Moon would make a visit to Japan in the early days following his inauguration. Speaking of the visit of special envoy Moon Hee-sang to his country, the Prime Minister said he planned to send a special envoy in return.

In response, President Moon Jae-in expressed understanding with Prime Minister Abe`s concerns that the North’s repeated provocations constituted a threat even to Japan. The President continued to say that the Korean Government wasted no time in convening the National Security Council meeting to strongly denounce the North`s provocation. With regards to provocative acts by the North, President Moon emphasized that it was necessary for members of the international community, including Korea, the United States, Japan and China, to join forces for strong responses. In this connection, the President said he highly evaluated Japan`s leading role in adopting a declaration at the recent G7 Summit and expressed his appreciation. 

The President went on to say he believed that it was vital to seek fundamental solutions although it was certainly necessary to take individual actions in response to every North Korean provocation. Then, President Moon said that he agreed, as the Prime Minister had pointed out, that it is not the right time to seek dialogue with the North but instead to intensify sanctions and pressure. The President continued to say that, however, the ultimate goal of the sanctions and pressure should be to bring the North back to the negotiating table in order to completely dismantle its nuclear program. He also said that the international community needed to take stern measures while, at the same time, it should continue to send a message that dialogue is possible only if the North abandons its nuclear development.

President Moon said he believed that the United States has the same position according to what he and President Trump talked about on the phone and the consultations of a special envoy sent to the United States. The President expressed his hope that he would be able to continue the dialogue with the Prime Minister in the months to come, adding that he would consult with a special envoy personally if the Prime Minster sends one. Finally, the President said he is looking forward to an opportunity to meet and talk with the Prime Minister in person at the G20 Summit.