SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) – South Korean President Moon Jae-in has urged U.S. President-elect Joe Biden to hold talks with North Korea to build on progress that President Donald Trump had made with leader Kim Jong Un.
Biden takes office on Wednesday amid a prolonged stand-off in negotiations aimed at dismantling North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes in exchange for US sanctions relief.
“The inauguration of the Biden administration would provide a turning point to newly start U.S.-North Korea dialogue, South-North dialogue, to inherit the achievements that were made under the Trump administration,” Moon told a New Year news conference.
“The dialogues can pick up the pace if we restart from the Singapore declaration and seek concrete measures in the negotiations.”
Moon, who had offered to be a mediator between Pyongyang and Washington, said he will seek an early chance to promote North Korea as Biden’s foreign policy priority so that he will follow through on an agreement reached by Trump and Kim at their first summit in Singapore.
Moon said Kim’s vow to beef up nuclear capabilities at the ruling Workers’ Party congress last week, has highlighted need to reopen negotiations for a peace deal.
