President Moon Jae-in and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier held a meeting for 45 minutes from 3:00 this afternoon. During their meeting that lasted 15 minutes longer than scheduled, they engaged in extensive discussions on the situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula and bilateral relations in general, including the North Korean nuclear issue, reunification of Korea, free trade, a partnership between Korea and Germany and the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games.

Saying he wholeheartedly welcomed President Moon to Berlin, German President Steinmeier noted that Germany and Korea, as nations espousing the shared values of freedom and democracy, had been maintaining very deep relations. He also explained that he personally had visited Korea on several occasions.

In response, President Moon thanked President Steinmeier for his warm hospitality and expressed gratitude to Chancellor Merkel for warmly congratulating him by phone immediately after his election as President and for inviting him to Germany. He went on to note that Korea and Germany shared the experience of national division and that there were lots of lessons for Korea to learn from the process in which Germany had overcome division and achieved unification. President Moon also said that he thanked the German President for giving a lot of help in launching a policy advisory council on unification and foreign affairs, which was aimed at sharing Germany’s experience in unification, when he served as Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs.

President Steinmeier said that Germany was achieving internal integration now after 30 years had passed since unification and that sharing such an experience with Korea was a duty. He went on to explain that there would be no set principles or certain conditions under which unification should be realized, but it would be important not to let go of hope given the case of Germany. He continued to say that there would be hope as long as we would not give up despite practical difficulties. He added that it was worried about the situation on the Peninsula caused by the recent provocations by North Korea, saying that it was true that the probability of unification on the Korean Peninsula seemed less likely than in the past judging from recent media reports.

In reply, President Moon said that the task ahead of us was to dismantle the Cold War rivalry on the Korean Peninsula, the last frontier of the War on earth. Pointing out that the division on the Korean Peninsula had lasted longer than in Germany, the President also said that it was difficult to get assistance for unification of the Korean Peninsula from neighboring nations, unlike Germany whose neighbors were supportive of unification. The President continued to say that as of now, it was a tall order to generate a momentum for dialogue and that the North`s continued nuclear and missile provocations made people in the region worry that escalating tensions might lead to a military conflict. However, the President emphasized that war should never take place again on the Korean Peninsula. Saying that it was absolutely necessary to further strengthen international sanctions and pressure against the North`s provocations, the President added that the issue had to be ultimately resolved through dialogue and peaceful measures. Since it was impossible to guarantee peace on the Korean Peninsula in the presence of a nuclear-armed North Korea, the President said that denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula had to go hand in hand with the establishment of a peace regime. The President reminded the German President of the fact that he had warned the North not to cross the Rubicon, adding that efforts were being made to bring the North to the negotiating table. Noting that Germany successfully overcame the division and played a leading role in arbitrating the standoff between Iran and United States over the nuclear issue, the President requested its assistance in this regard.

President Steinmeier responded by saying that what he had realized after years of engaging in negotiations over the Iranian nuclear issue was that were it not for dialogue and negotiations, the military risk could significantly rise. The German President said that, during his meeting with President Xi Jinping, he raised the issue of China and Russia`s responsibility and efforts that needed to be enhanced, adding that he got a feeling that it was likely for the two countries to take action now. He went on to say that Korea, the United States, China, Russia and Europe had to speak with one voice at least concerning the North Korean issue at the G20 Summit this time.

In reply, President Moon said China and Russia should have great concern about the fact that North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons and missiles was very fast. Noting that international sanctions and pressure would not have any actual effect without the active participation of China and Russia, the President said that he believed China had the decisive key and that he would have an in-depth discussion on the issue in a meeting with President Xi Jinping the next day.

President Steinmeier said Korea and Germany should respond with an identical position to the recent move to limit free trade. President Moon replied that the international community should respond together to some of the attempts to go against free trade, suggesting that Korea and Germany create high-level communication channels to expand bilateral economic exchanges and trade.

Taking an example of the Schröder Administration’s attempt to reform through Agenda 2010 before it was defeated in an election, President Moon said he believed that in the long run, it had contributed to Germany’s economic growth and stability. The President went on to say that he admired the decision made for the sake of the future though it was painful, adding that it was the attitude of a genuine leader of a country.

Finally, President Steinmeier said the Korean Government had a difficult reform agenda ahead and there were many differences of opinion among political parties and expressed the hope that President Moon would be able to carry out reforms and innovations properly. President Steinmeier went on to say that if he visited Korea again, he would delve into the issues related to small and medium-sized companies with President Moon.

In response, President Moon said Korea had received much help from Germany and now the two countries should take the path of shared prosperity as partners. Noting that Germany, whose strengths lie in SMEs and manufacturing, was leading the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the President said Korea should take advantage of being an information and communications technology powerhouse and the two countries should create a synergy to build a mutually beneficial relationship. President Moon extended a formal invitation for President Steinmeier to visit Korea during the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games next February. Mentioning that Germany was a strong player in winter sports, President Moon said President Steinmeier’s attendance would be of great significance. President Steinmeier said he would closely look into his schedule.