President Moon Jae-in was interviewed by Channel News Asia (CNA), a Singaporean cable television news agency, at Cheong Wa Dae today ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s state visit to Korea and President Moon’s three-nation tour of Southeast Asia. 

Headquartered in Singapore, Channel News Asia is an influential English-language news channel with a viewership of approximately 70 million households in 22 Asian countries. President Moon was interviewed today for its prime-time “Conversation With” program broadcast on Thursday evenings.

Global leaders who have appeared on this program include U.S. President Barak Obama, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde and Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam. A Singaporean news crew was sent to Cheong Wa Dae to conduct today’s 40-minute interview at Sangchunjae (Spring House).

President Moon expounded on his beliefs concerning how to respond to the North Korean nuclear issue, the importance of Southeast Asian countries in the promotion of peace in Asia, plans to advance ties between Korea and these countries and peace on the Korean Peninsula. The President expressed his special appreciation to ASEAN member countries, which he is scheduled to visit next week, for speaking with one voice in support of imposing sanctions against the North for peace on the Korean Peninsula. He underscored his Administration`s commitment to furthering cooperative ties with Southeast Asian countries to put them on par with those with the four nations whose interests have traditionally converged on the Korean Peninsula. 

After the interview, President Moon happened to meet with journalists from various nations at Nokjiwon Garden on his way back to the Yeomingwan building, where his primary office is located. Journalists from Russia, Singapore and Poland asked about the preparations for the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics and how the President wanted the Olympics to be remembered.  

President Moon responded that the preparation for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games was perfect and expressed the hope that the PyeongChang Olympics, which is scheduled ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, would become an Olympics of peace in Asia.   

While holding up the two PyeongChang Olympic mascots, Soohorang and Bandabi, the President posed for commemorative photos with the foreign correspondents. Then, he graciously accepted requests to appear in photos with each reporter individually and asked for their continued interest in the PyeongChang Olympics.