China plays positive role in denuclearizing Korean Peninsula, improving inter-Korean ties: Moon

Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-10 11:03:47|Editor: mmm
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SEOUL, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- China has played a positive role in denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and improving inter-Korean relations, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said in his New Year press conference on Thursday.

"Until now, China has played a positive role in helping very much the Korean Peninsula's denuclearization and improving inter-Korean relations," said Moon in the televised press conference.

China, Moon said, has always played a positive role in helping the summits between South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and between the DPRK and the United States.

The latest summit talks between the top leaders of China and DPRK are anticipated to play "a very positive role" for the success of the second summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump, said the South Korean president.

Moon welcomed the offer by Kim Jong Un, top leader of the DPRK, to resume inter-Korean cooperation projects that require the lifting, or at least easing, of international sanctions on Pyongyang for the resumption.

"The Kaesong Industrial Complex and the Mount Kumgang tour project were beneficial to both South and North Korea (DPRK). (I) welcome North Korea's intention very much to resume (the operations) without any condition and compensation," Moon said.

Moon's remarks came in response to the overtures that Kim made during his New Year's speech earlier this month.

Kim said he was willing to reopen the inter-Korean factory park in the DPRK's border town of Kaesong and resume the tours by South Koreans to the DPRK's scenic resort of Mount Kumgang "without any preconditions."

Moon said prerequisites for the resumption of the two projects were already met between the two Koreas as Kim's overtures were hailed by himself.

The president vowed to cooperate with the international community, including the United States, to rapidly resolve the remaining issue of international sanctions on the DPRK.

The Kaesong Industrial Complex was closed down by South Korea in February 2016 over the DPRK's fourth nuclear test in the previous month.

The tourism project to Mount Kumgang, launched in 1998, has been suspended since 2008 when a South Korean tourist was shot dead by a DPRK solider after allegedly venturing into an off-limits area.

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