President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump held a summit on the sidelines of the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Their summit began at 2:45 this afternoon and lasted one hour and 25 minutes.
The two heads of state had extensive and in-depth discussions on how to work together to achieve complete denuclearization and settle lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula as well as how to reinforce the Korea-U.S. alliance.
President Moon briefed President Trump on the outcome of the September 2018 inter-Korean summit held in Pyeongyang last week. President Trump said he welcomed the results of the third summit between President Moon and Chairman Kim Jong Un.
Importantly, President Moon elaborated on the fact that Chairman Kim reiterated to the entire world his firm commitment to denuclearization. The President went on to say that he had formalized the commitment to denuclearization by clearly reiterating it once again during his address to 150,000 Pyeongyang citizens.
President Trump gave high marks to President Moon's reconfirmation of Chairman Kim's commitment to complete denuclearization. The two Presidents agreed to work closely together to ensure success at the second U.S.-North Korea summit.
In addition, they agreed to maintain close communication and coordination with regard to methods of cooperation, including the corresponding measures of the United States, in order to encourage Chairman Kim to remain committed to complete denuclearization.
Among other things, the two Presidents agreed to continue sanctions against North Korea while exploring measures aimed at motivating it to adhere to its commitment to complete denuclearization by showing the bright future possible should the North complete denuclearization.
The two presidents also highly evaluated the undisputed role that the Korea-U.S. alliance has served as a linchpin that has contributed to peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the region over the past 65 years.
The two leaders agreed to work together to make the Korea-U.S. alliance even greater, and to this end, they discussed ways to substantively advance bilateral relations in many different areas.
In the joint statement signed and announced by the two leaders after their summit, they noted that the amendment to the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement signed by the trade ministers of both nations was a clear testament to the solidity of their comprehensive alliance. They also concurred on the need to take necessary steps for the amendment to come into effect as soon as possible.
In addition, President Moon proposed that the two countries work together to ensure that their strong, mutually beneficial and cooperative economic and trade relations could continue.
This was their fifth bilateral summit since President Moon’s inauguration. The two leaders have continued close communications, including 18 phone conversations, in addition to the summits.