By Sohn JiAe
Photos = Cheong Wa Dae 

President Moon Jae-in, currently on a state visit to Russia, stressed the importance of trilateral economic cooperation among South Korea, North Korea and Russia, in a meeting on June 21 with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. 

“Among major projects of mutual cooperation among the three countries, like railroads, electricity and gas, railway construction looks to be the most feasible,” said President Moon. 

“First, Seoul-Moscow and inter-Korean joint research into train connections should be carried out, followed by trilateral joint research, and then, lastly, working-level cooperation." 

Prime Minister Medvedev also expressed keen interest in trilateral cooperation. “The future for Seoul-Pyeongyang-Moscow cooperation is now bright, amid the latest developments on the Korean Peninsula, following the inter-Korean and then the U.S.-North Korea dialogues,” he said. 

The Russian prime minister also showed great interest in not only railways, but also electrical and LNG gas grids connecting the three countries. 

Highly appreciating President Moon’s active engagement in changing the course of the Korean Peninsula, Medvedev said, “An easing of strained inter-Korean relations depends greatly on the development of the Washington-Pyeongyang relationship, as well. The two leaders meeting with each other recently is very important in itself and the fact that the two leaders agreed to cooperate on dialogue is a significant starting point,” he added. 

Following the meeting, President Moon also attended an event to celebrate Korea-Russia friendship, where he met Koreans who had contributed to bilateral ties, as well as with ethnic Korean-Russian and Russian representatives. The event had in attendance descendants of six Korean independence activists who fought across Siberia and the Russian Far East, such as Choi Jae-hyung. 

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