President Moon Jae-in spoke by phone to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to explain the results of the inter-Korean summit and exchange ideas with him for 45 minutes from 10 o’clock this morning. 

Prime Minister Abe gave high marks to the fact that the leaders of South and North Korea clarified the goal of complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through the Panmunjeom Declaration. Importantly, he described the move by the North as being proactive, adding his expectation that the declaration would lead to concrete action.

President Moon and Prime Minister Abe shared a common understanding that the agreement on complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula has paved the way for the success of a North Korea-U.S. summit, expressing the expectation that concrete measures to achieve denuclearization would be agreed upon at the upcoming summit. 

President Moon said that he had conveyed to Chairman of the State Affairs Commission Kim Jong Un the Prime Minister`s intentions to have a dialogue with North Korea and to normalize North Korea-Japan relations on the basis of the resolution of issues concerning past history. President Moon also said to the Japanese Prime Minister that Chairman Kim had responded that he intends to engage in dialogue with Japan at any time. 

Prime Minister Abe said that Japan would endeavor to create an opportunity for a dialogue with the North and that he would ask for assistance from President Moon if necessary. The President said he would be more than willing to build a bridge between Japan and North Korea. 

The Prime Minister expressed deep gratitude to President Moon for sending Director of National Intelligence Service Suh Hoon to Japan to explain the results of the inter-Korean summit. The dispatch of the NIS director is a result of Prime Minister Abe’s strong request during his phone conversation with President Moon on April 24.