President Moon Jae-in (second from right) on June 29 holds a meeting with leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, including House Speaker Paul Ryan (second from left), at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (Cheong Wa Dae)

By Sohn JiAe

President Moon Jae-in on June 29 said the dismantlement of North Korea’s nuclear weapons is possible “only with the strong (South) Korea-U.S. alliance” in talks with leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate in Washington, D.C.

President Moon spoke to eight House leaders including Speaker Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. 

“Stopping the North from further developing its nuclear weapons and missiles and completely discarding the regime’s nuclear weapons are the common goals both Korea and the U.S. are pursuing,” the president said, adding, “Because (U.S.) President Donald Trump has put this matter first over any other challenge, now is a better time than ever to solve it.” 

Speaker Ryan said, “Our bilateral relationship is so strong and this is something that we share as Democrats and Republicans,” adding, “Both countries have many challenges to deal with together and it’s a common challenge that both countries share to respond to threats carried by Pyongyang, in particular.” 

When asked about the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, President Moon said, “The system is needed for national defense against the North’s provocations and essential that is more important than anything else in addressing issues about North Korean nuclear weapons basically.” 

As for the bilateral free trade agreement, he said, “The alliance between Seoul and Washington now goes beyond just security. It has grown into the economy.” 

“Over the past five years since the FTA came into effect, the volume of trade between the two nations has grown 12 percent, while global trade has decreased 12 percent. I believe that it’s a win-win deal for us economically.”

Following his meeting with House officials, President Moon then moved to the Strom Thurmond Room in the Capitol for talks with Senate leaders, whom he thanked for adopting a resolution to further enhance the bilateral alliance. 

“My visit to the U.S. this time will hopefully be a chance to help my administration build trust and friendship with the leaders of the U.S. administration,” he said. “Also, this visit will hopefully serve as an opportunity to allow our nations to form a greater alliance, one that brings about a permanent peace, not just a military or economic one.” 

Attending the meeting were 11 leading senators including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. 

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