President Moon Jae-in and French President Immanuel Macron spoke on the phone for 20 minutes from 4:07 this afternoon. Their telephone discussion focused on how to respond to North Korea’s sixth nuclear test.

President Moon pointed out that the nuclear test this time was a grave provocation that was completely different and unprecedented in scale and nature. He expressed his appreciation to his French counterpart for close cooperation on the issue, including the announcement of a statement of condemnation immediately after the nuclear test, joining the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan and the Republic of Korea in calling for convening an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council and calling Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss the matter.

President Moon urged France, a permanent member of the Security Council, to play an active and continuing role in helping adopt an additional sanctions resolution currently under discussion, carrying it out meticulously and demonstrating the resolute determination of the international community.

Noting that the European Union`s arbitration experience and efforts in addressing the Iranian nuclear issue would be of help in dealing with the North Korean nuclear issue, President Moon expressed his expectation that France and the European Union would play a constructive role in helping resolve it.

In reply, President Macron expressed complete agreement with President Moon`s views, adding that he fully supported the policy and position of the Korean Government. As France had already strongly denounced the North`s nuclear test through the statement by the presidential office underscoring the need for the international community to show utmost resoluteness for the dismantlement of the North`s nuclear program, President Macron noted that his country would actively cooperate in the process of consultations at the U. N. Security Council. 

In relation to that, President Moon said the Korean Government welcomed the efforts to bring North Korea back in earnest to the negotiating table and the efforts to mediate differences while implementing strong sanctions on the North at the same time. 

The two leaders were on the same page on the need to peacefully and fundamentally resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and for the international community, including Korea and France, to unite and place maximum pressure and sanctions against the North to urge it to come forward to the negotiating table. They also agreed to continue cooperation to ultimately solve the issue peacefully through dialogue so that peace could be settled on the Korean Peninsula.