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| Former President Moon Jae-in smiles at his bookstore in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, in this April 26 file photo. Moon is expected to attend Tuesday's event marking the fifth anniversary of the inter-Korean summit held in Pyongyang. Yonhap |
By Jung Min-ho
Former President Moon Jae-in will give a speech at an event marking the fifth anniversary of the inter-Korean summit, which was held in Pyongyang, the organizing committee said, Sunday..
At the ceremony, planned for Tuesday in Seoul, Moon is expected to meet with his former secretaries and Cabinet members, including former Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul and former Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha.
This would be his first public appearance in the capital since he left office in May 2022.
The announcement comes as inter-Korean relations remain tense, with North Korea stepping up efforts to develop missile and nuclear weapons.
The day after the Seoul-Pyongyang summit on Sept. 18, 2018, Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un issued a joint statement, calling for a no-aggression military agreement, civilian exchanges, the gradual denuclearization of North Korea and cooperation in many other areas.
But after failing to remove sanctions on the North's economy through diplomatic deals with the U.S. ― later on ― North Korea repeatedly violated the agreement by developing its weapons while at the same time refusing to talk.
Critics believe Moon's conciliatory policy was exploited by North Korea, which, in their view, had no intention of respecting the agreement in the first place. Under his successor, Yoon Suk Yeol, officials have adopted a tougher approach toward the regime.
Shin Won-sik, the nominee for the defense minister position, said it would be inappropriate for Seoul to abide by what was agreed in the 2018 deal as North Korea blatantly disregards it.
