President Moon Jae-in met with Dr. Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations of the United States at the main building of Cheong Wa Dae this morning. They exchanged views on a variety of issues, including matters related to the President’s upcoming visit to the United States that is a week away and how to further advance the ROK-U.S. Alliance.

President Moon made it clear that the ROK-U.S. Alliance is the bedrock of Korea’s foreign and security policies. He also stressed that the two countries would continue to strengthen cooperation on the basis of close communication and coordination. The President called on Dr. Haass for his advice and support so that the scheduled Korea-U.S. summit would serve as a catalyst for spreading a positive message on the advancement of the ROK-U.S. Alliance to the Government and public in the United States.

In particular, President Moon said he intends to solidify personal trust and friendship with President Donald Trump at the coming summit. Based on that, the President continued to say that the two leaders would be able to seek common goals for Korea and the United States: denuclearization through the complete dismantlement of North Korea’s nuclear program, establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula and securing peace and stability in Northeast Asia. 

Expressing his understanding of President Moon’s idea, CFR President Haass responded that he hoped that the two heads of state would be able to build the foundation of friendship and trust at their first meeting, and based on that, they would be able to further strengthen and develop the Korea-U.S. Alliance.