By Yoon Sojung

President Moon Jae-in and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed cooperation for the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula and ways to boost bilateral ties. 

The two leaders held a summit in Singapore on Nov. 14 on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summits.

Both leaders exchanged opinions in a comprehensive manner on easing sanctions against North Korea, said Cheong Wa Dae Spokesperson Kim Eui-kyeom in a press briefing regarding the summit.

President Putin said that “Corresponding measures should follow if progress is made in the process of denuclearization of North Korea,” Spokesperson Kim quoted him. 

President Moon asked the Russian leader to play an active role so that the North can take denuclearization measures in a bolder manner, said the presidential spokesperson. 

Mentioning the second North Korea-U.S. summit and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un’s reciprocal visit to Seoul, President Moon said, “I hope great improvements will be made in the complete denuclearization and peace process of the Korean Peninsula through the two upcoming summits.”

President Putin praised the efforts of President Moon and his administration for the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula by saying, “Remarkable progress has been made so far.” The Russian leader added that “Chairman Kim is interested in visiting Russia, and Moscow has been consulting closely with Pyeongyang in this regard.” 

In regard to Seoul-Moscow cooperation, the two leaders welcomed the launch of the Korea-Russia Local Cooperation Forum which opened last week, and expressed the hope that bilateral relations would develop into a full-scale cooperative relationship that encompasses both the central and local governments. Both leaders agreed to work together in order to achieve the goal of reaching a bilateral trade volume amounting to US$30 billion and the volume of people-to-people exchange of 1 million people by 2020 when the two countries will mark the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship. 

Both leaders reviewed the implementation of the overall ongoing nine bridge strategy, an initiative for cooperation on nine key sectors which President Moon proposed in September last year: shipbuilding, port construction, the development of a North Pole shipping route, gas exploration, railway construction, power generation, job creation, the farming industry, and the fishing industry. 

They also looked over the implementation of cooperation in science, technology, health and medical sectors and agreed to strengthen cooperation to produce concrete outcomes. These are the areas which both leaders agreed to work on at the summit this past June in Moscow in order to secure future growth engine. 

President Putin, in particular, mentioned President Moon’s vision of the East Asian Railroad Community by saying that, “Russia will actively cooperate in order to realize the vision,” the presidential spokesperson quoted the Russian leader. 

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