Ahead of his state visit to China December 13-17, President Moon Jae-in was interviewed by China Central Television (CCTV) on December 8. CCTV’s anchor Shui Junyi interviewed the President at the main building of Cheong Wa Dae.

The interview proceeded in a warm and friendly atmosphere with a series of detailed questions, including about pending issues between Korea and China. 

In response to a question about his impression of Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Moon said they had much in common, especially in regard to the governing philosophy. President Moon went on to say that he set his administrative goal on creating a Republic of Korea where the people are the rightful owners just as President Xi emphasized the need for senior officials in the party to become public servants for the people.

Regarding how to solve the THAAD issue, President Moon mentioned a Korea-China consultation on October 31 and the second Korea-China summit on the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Da Nang, saying he could understand differences between the two sides. The President underscored that both Korea and China had their own positions and that some aspects were understandable from each other’s perspective.  

Concerning the North Korean nuclear issue, President Moon presented a positive outlook. Reiterating the importance of the zero-tolerance on the North`s nuclear program, strong sanctions and pressure, and cooperation between China and Korea, the President said that the darkest hour was just before dawn.  

News anchor Shui, who interviewed President Moon this time, is the veteran main anchor of CCTV. Over the past decade or so, he has interviewed all Korean Presidents. Recalling his interview with former President Roh Moo-hyun at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse during his visit to China, the anchor said that he was deeply impressed by President Roh, which made him respect him. 

Noting that he had not accompanied President Roh on his visit to China at that time, President Moon expressed his appreciation to the anchor for taking time to have such a memorable interview with the former President. 

On December 8, the day of the interview, President Moon’s book, Moon Jae-inui Unmyeong (Moon Jae-in’s Destiny), was published in China. The President showed Mr. Shui the book and talked about the stories behind the old photographs.   

President Moon asked Mr. Shui to take much interest in the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games while Mr. Shui talked about his special relationship with Winter Olympics. Mr. Shui said that his wife was a sports journalist in China and that their two children were learning how to play winter sports. Mr. Shui went on to say that he and his family would surely buy tickets for the PyeongChang Olympics and come to Korea again and gave the President the assurance that when he did, other Chinese people would take a lot of interest in it, too. 

President Moon’s interview was aired for 30 minutes from 10:30 p.m. Chinese time on December 11 on the Global Watch program on CCTV-13, a news channel.