A historic meeting of the leaders of both Koreas and the U.S. occurs on June 30 at the truce village of Panmunjeom 66 years after the signing of the armistice that ended the Korean War in 1953.
By Min Yea-Ji and Yoon Sojung
Photos = White House
President Moon Jae-in has used his quiet but significant presence to shine again as a mediator between the U.S. and North Korea.
Cheong Wa Dae on June 29 said U.S. President Donald Trump asked President Moon if the latter saw his latest tweet during their short meeting at the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, to which the South Korean leader replied, "Yes, I did."
Trump then said he and President Moon "will work together" and gave him a thumbs-up. From that moment, Moon’s mediating role took off.
To smoothly facilitate a meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, President Moon did everything he could do behind the scenes. He told both men that their talks should focus on bilateral issues between Pyeongyang and Washington, giving both sides strong motivation to hold the dialogue.
While Kim and Trump held their talks, President Moon stayed in another room. During the joint press conference at Cheong Wa Dae earlier that day, Moon told reporters, "The heart of today’s meeting was the dialogue between the North and the U.S., and their talks will hold significance in continuing the dialogue between both sides."
Trump also thanked President Moon for his support that led to considerable progress in peace, adding that Moon will be closely involved in North Korea-U.S. talks.
After the talks, Kim gave his South Korean counterpart a warm hug and a big smile before heading home.
The DMZ meeting achieved meaningful results, with Trump inviting Kim to the White House and both leaders agreeing to form teams within two or three weeks for holding denuclearization talks.
The world is watching how President Moon’s mediating role will help the peninsula’s peace process, which has gained renewed momentum from the DMZ meeting.
On the progress achieved by the Kim-Trump meeting that day, he said, “The peace process on the Korean Peninsula has overcome a big bump today.”
U.S. President Donald Trump (left) and President Moon Jae-in on June 30 hold a joint news conference at Cheong Wa Dae. There, President Moon officially announced that Trump and
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would hold a meeting at the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas.