President Moon Jae-in is invited to speak at the Körber Foundation where he outlines his administration`s peace initiatives, at Berlin`s Old City Hall on July 6.

By Lee Hana

Photos = Cheong Wa Dae

President Moon Jae-in was invited to speak at the Körber Foundation and in his speech at Berlin`s Old City Hall on July 6 he announced his administration`s peace initiatives for the Korean Peninsula. 

At the same historic spot where the German Unification Treaty was negotiated in 1990, President Moon emphasized how important peace and cooperation based on mutual respect was for Germany`s reunification. He also stressed the fact that the Neue Ostpolitik, or New Eastern Policy that normalized relations between East and West Germany, continued for some 20 years. 

Stating that, "Berlin is remembered together with the `Berlin Declaration` made by former President Kim Dae-jung," the president said that he had inherited the previous administration`s efforts and that his government will now embark on a journey toward establishing a regime of peace across all of the Korean Peninsula. 

Underscoring the fact that the road toward a peaceful Korean Peninsula is already apparent, the president outlined the direction his government would take in dissolving the Cold War structure and establishing lasting peace. With this, the president pointed to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, guaranteeing security, and a more fundamental approach to uprooting North Korean weapons issues, starting with dialogue. 

The president emphasized that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Oct. 4 Declaration in which the two Koreas agreed, in 2007, to expand family reunions between families and relatives separated by the border. Noting that Chuseok, one of Korea`s biggest holidays, falls on Oct. 4 this year, the president said that since the two anniversaries overlap, it would be meaningful to hold family reunions on that day as a first step in addressing this humanitarian issue. 

Finally, the president outlined some additional measures, such as making the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, an "Olympics of Peace" with the active participation of the North, halting acts of hostility along the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), and starting an inter-Korean dialogue between the two Koreas.

President Moon Jae-in speaks at the Körber Foundation in Berlin`s Old City Hall on July 6.

President Moon Jae-in enters Berlin`s Old City Hall on July 6, receiving applause from members of the Körber Foundation.

President Moon Jae-in meets with Korean expats outside Berlin`s Old City Hall on July 6.

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