President Moon Jae-in conferred the Cheongryong Medal, the highest medal in the Order of Sport Merit, on IOC President Thomas Bach at Cheong Wa Dae at five o’clock this afternoon. The honor was given in recognition of his contribution to elevating Korea’s international standing in sports with his support and cooperation in helping host the PyeongChang Winter Olympics and enable the North Korean athletes to participate in the event.

President Moon said that the IOC’s active endeavors and support made it possible for North Korea to participate in the PyeongChang Olympics and for the two Koreas to exchange envoys leading to the possibility of U.S.-North Korea dialogue and an agreement to hold an inter-Korean summit. He added that the achievements were truly astounding.

President Moon went on to say that if such efforts led to the denuclearization of the North and the normalization of U.S.-North Korea relations beyond the success of the PyeongChang Olympics, they would become an epochal accomplishment for world peace as well. He continued to call on countries around the world to provide support so that this hard-earned opportunity would be seized.