President Moon Jae-in and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres held a telephone conversation for 30 minutes from 11:30 this morning. They discussed the results of the recent inter-Korean summit.

President Moon began by expressing his appreciation for the United Nations’ endorsement of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics and the inter-Korean summit. The President asked for the United Nations’ continued support and cooperation going forward.

President Moon proposed to Secretary-General Guterres that the United Nations, through its General Assembly or Security Council meeting, release a statement of welcoming and supporting the Panmunjeom Declaration agreed upon between the leaders of South and North Korea. The President went on to say that the United Nation’ endorsement would give great momentum not only to the advancement of inter-Korean relations but also to the success of the upcoming summit between North Korea and the United States.

Mentioning that Chairman of the State Affairs Commission Kim Jong Un had promised that he would disclose the shutdown of its nuclear test site in Punggye-ri not only to the South and the United States but to the international community in a transparent manner, President Moon said that it would be advisable for U.N. officials to be on the site for verification. 

Following his explanation of the agreement to transform the demilitarized zone into a peace zone in the Panmunjeom Declaration, President Moon also asked the U.N. Secretary-General to dispatch U.N. officials to observe and verify the transformation process. 

In response, Secretary-General Guterres said he was more than willing to cooperate. He said President Moon’s request would need approval from the U.N. Security Council but he would make endeavors to help settle peace on the Korean Peninsula. He also said he would designate a U.N. official in charge of disarmament issues to cooperate with South Korea.