President Moon Jae-in and French President Emmanuel Macron held a 30-minute telephone conversation from 7:20 this evening. President Moon briefed his French counterpart about the latest developments on the Korean Peninsula, including progress in recent inter-Korean talks. The two leaders discussed how to work together for the successful hosting of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

President Moon expounded on the results of discussions between the South and North Korea and the prospects for progress in regard to the North’s participation in the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games. He went on to say the South, in cooperation with the international community, would continue preparations to ensure that the upcoming Olympics could be held in a safer and more peaceful atmosphere. 

President Moon also expressed the hope that the inter-Korean talks and North Korea’s participation in the Olympics would lead to improvement in relations between the two Koreas, a thaw in tensions on the Korean Peninsula and, taking it a step further, a dialogue for the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue.

President Moon thanked France for its active cooperation and support as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and an essential member of the European Union in efforts to address the North Korean nuclear issue. The Korean President suggested the two countries continue even closer cooperation for the peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue and the settlement of peace on the Korean Peninsula.

President Macron gave a high evaluation of President Moon`s active endeavors for peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the rest of the world, adding he welcomed the inter-Korean talks. Reconfirming his stance of actively supporting the Korean Government`s policy concerning the Peninsula and working together to this end, the French President said he would continue to play a role in and make contributions to preventing the North`s provocations, containing the escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula and resolving the North Korean nuclear issue. 

On top of this, President Macron said he welcomed North Korea`s participation in the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and wished the Games to be a success as a peace Olympics not only for the Korean Peninsula but for the whole world. In this connection, he promised his country`s active cooperation.

President Moon said France was the first country to host a Winter Olympics as well as a Winter Olympics and Paralympics together, expressing the hope that France would be able to produce good results at the PyeongChang Olympics. In addition, President Moon invited President Macron to attend the PyeongChang Olympics and the Paralympics. President Macron expressed gratitude and said he would review the possibility of visiting Korea during the event. 

The two heads of state noted that the bilateral cooperation, which they had agreed to further strengthen during the summit held on the occasion of the G20 meeting in Hamburg, Germany, in July 2017, was being successfully carried out through the strategic dialogue between foreign ministers in October 2017 and the economic ministers’ meeting in November 2017. 

They also agreed to further develop the substantive cooperative relationship between the two countries by expanding senior-level exchanges at various grades, including a bilateral summit, on a number of occasions this year.