President Moon Jae-in and Chilean President Sebastián Piñera, who is making a state visit to Korea, held a summit at Cheong Wa Dae this morning. The two Presidents had extensive discussions on ways to advance the two countries’ comprehensive, cooperative partnership in a forward-looking manner.
At the summit, President Piñera expressed his active support for Korea to join the Pacific Alliance. He also called on the Korean Government to quicken the pace of improving the Korea-Chile FTA.
President Moon replied that he was looking forward to the negotiations for improving the FTA advancing future bilateral economic cooperation in a more mutually beneficial fashion, building on past achievements. He went on to express the hope that Chile, the next country to hold the Pacific Alliance presidency, would employ its leadership to allow the bilateral FTA renegotiation and Korea’s entry into the Pacific Alliance as an associate member to progress simultaneously.
President Piñera expressed his gratitude for President Moon's endeavors with regard to denuclearization and the peace process on the Korean Peninsula and noted that denuclearization is an issue that concerns not only the South and North but also the whole world. Mentioning President Moon having played a significant role in the denuclearization efforts as well as a constructive role in North Korea-U.S. dialogue, President Piñera said he expects that President Moon will play a crucial role that relies on wisdom handed down for thousands of years.
In reply, President Moon thanked President Piñera for expressing active support for denuclearization and the peace process on the Korean Peninsula. The President continued, "As both the North Korean and U.S. leaders have expressed their commitment to dialogue, I will help facilitate the process needed so that a third North Korea-U.S. summit can be held as early as possible."
Speaking of the implementation of Chile’s policy goal to achieve zero carbon emissions between 2030 and 2040, President Piñera said that his country is actively transitioning to electric vehicles for public transportation, converting to renewable energy sources such as the wind and sun, and preserving forests to reduce carbon emissions.
In response, President Moon expressed his respect for President Piñera’s zero carbon policy. Pointing out that the Korean Government has the same objective, President Moon proposed that the two countries work together.
President Piñera mentioned the fact that Korea commercialized 5G technology for the first time in the world and asked for cooperation in the information and communication sector, including laying undersea fiber-optic cables across the Pacific Ocean. President Moon expressed his desire to see Korean companies with advanced technology for commercializing a 5G network and building other telecommunications infrastructure expand their participation in Chile.
Mentioning that a Korean business is involved in the construction of Chacao Bridge, Latin America’s first four-lane suspension bridge, President Moon said he is looking forward to the Chilean Government’s interest in and support for the smooth completion of the bridge.