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Moon and
Trump had a phone conversation for around 35 minutes at 10 p.m. local time
(1300 GMT), according to the presidential Blue House.
The leaders
intensively discussed ways to cooperate for the success of the upcoming
second summit between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and
the United States.
Top DPRK
leader Kim Jong-un and Trump agreed to meet again in Hanoi, Vietnam, on
February 27-28. The first Kim-Trump summit meeting was held in Singapore in
June last year.
During the
phone conversation in about five months, Moon highly evaluated Trump's
diplomatic efforts for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Moon
expressed his anticipation that the second DPRK-US summit would be a crucial
turning point in realizing the peninsula's complete denuclearization, the
peace regime building on the peninsula and the development of the DPRK-US
relations, which Trump and the DPRK leader agreed to during their Singapore
summit.
For the
corresponding measures to encourage the DPRK to take denuclearization steps, Moon
asked Trump to make use of RoK's role as it can reduce the US burden.
The RoK
leader said his country was ready to assume any role, if President Trump
demands, ranging from the connection of railways and roads across the
inter-Korean border to inter-Korean economic cooperation projects.
In his New
Year's speech, the DPRK leader said he would work to build new relations with
the United States, settle a lasting peace on the peninsula and pursue the
complete denuclearization on condition that the United States takes
corresponding measures.
Kim said he
was willing to reopen the inter-Korean industrial park in the DPRK's border
town of Kaesong and resume the suspended tour program to the DPRK's scenic
resort of Mount Kumgang without any preconditions.
The Kaesong
Industrial Complex and the Mount Kumgang tourist spot have been closed since
2016 and 2008 respectively.
The RoK and
the DPRK held a groundbreaking ceremony in December to modernize and
eventually link railways and roads along the western and eastern peninsula,
but construction works had yet to be launched because of the international
sanctions against Pyongyang.
The two
Koreas have been left divided since the 1950-53 Korean war ended with an
armistice. The peninsula remains in a technical state of war with no peace
treaty signed.
During the
phone talks, Trump explained to Moon preparations for the second DPRK-US
summit and consultations between Washington and Pyongyang, expressing his
anticipation for the Hanoi summit with the DPRK leader.
Trump
showed his expectation for a big outcome from the Hanoi summit, saying he was
expected to meet with Moon to share the outcome of the second DPRK-US summit,
according to the Blue House.
The US
president promised to closely consult with Moon on the second DPRK-US summit
and follow-up measures, adding that the US-RoK alliance was better than ever.
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Source: NDO
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