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| President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook wave as they disembark from the presidential airplane at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, June 18, following a trip to the U.K., Austria and Spain. Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae |
North Korea's missile tests fly in the face of Moon's peace speech
By Nam Hyun-woo
President Moon Jae-in will depart for New York, Sunday, to attend the United Nations General Assembly next week, however, his trip is feared to end up as a fruitless one, with his peace message at the event likely clouded by North Korea's missile tests.
In addition, given that Moon will not have summits with the leaders of countries immediately impacted by issues on the Korean Peninsula, it is highly likely he will return home empty-handed.
According to Cheong Wa Dae, Moon will visit the U.N. headquarters to give a speech during the first-day's session of the high-level General Debate, Tuesday. He will then fly to Honolulu to attend a ceremony marking the return of the remains of U.S. soldiers who fought and died in the Korean War.
"During his speech at the U.N., Moon will express his intention to continue efforts to talk and cooperate with North Korea for peace on the Korean Peninsula and improved inter-Korean relations," a senior official at the presidential office said. "He will also ask international society to support our government's efforts toward complete denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula."
However, this message is feared to echo hollow, after North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, Wednesday, despite the regime being banned from testing any ballistic missile technology under a set of U.N. resolutions.
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| This photo provided by the North's Korean Central News Agency shows a missile being launched from a train at an undisclosed location in North Korea, Wednesday. Yonhap |
The North's latest launch brought international condemnation. U.S. Department of State spokesman Ned Price said the U.S. "condemns the DPRK's missile launches" and "these missile launches are in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions, and we know that they pose a threat to the DPRK's neighbors and other members of the international community." The DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga also denounced the missile tests as outrageous, strongly condemning the tests for threatening peace and security in the region.
While being criticized, Pyongyang slammed Seoul's submarine-launched ballistic missile test, also conducted Wednesday. In response to President Moon's statement that "the test was not a reply to North Korea's provocation, but a scheduled test corresponding to our missile capability," Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, said inter-Korean ties could break down if the South Korean President's "slander" continued.
As the inter-Korean relations again plummet following North Korea's provocative missile tests, concern is being raised about the "peace message" Moon will deliver at the U.N. General Assembly.
"North Korea again staged a provocation, and what will Moon say at the U.N. General Assembly?" Yoo Seong-min, a presidential contender from the main opposition People Power Party, wrote on Facebook. "The provocation is direct proof that North Korea has not changed at all. North Korea's nuclear threat is a mushroom that has grown under the Moon government's irresponsible and incapable North Korea policies. Moon should abandon his hollow Korean Peninsula peace initiative and set up a new policy based on reality."
Summits
On the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Moon will have summits with Slovenian President Borut Pahor and Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Sources said Moon will also meet with the leader of one more country during his stay in New York, but it will not be U.S President Joe Biden.
"We are not preparing a summit between Moon and Biden this time," a senior official at Cheong Wa Dae said. "Since Moon will stay briefly in New York, it is difficult to have many summits."
Biden will attend the General Debate to deliver a speech, but is expected to spend his time meeting world leaders whom he has not met so far.
Amid Moon's visit, Japanese Prime Minister Suga will also be in the U.S. to attend an in-person summit of leaders of the Quad countries at the White House ― the U.S., Australia, India and Japan. However, it appears unlikely that the two leaders will meet to find a way to thaw chilly relations between South Korea and Japan, as their schedules do not coincide.
Cheong Wa Dae said Moon will have a summit with the Slovenian president, as next year will mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between South Korea and Slovenia; while the summit with the Vietnamese president is to enhance bilateral ties with the new leadership in that country.
Both summits could be of long-term importance for South Korea, but fall short of urgency or having any direct impact compared to Moon's earlier summits this year.
In the summit with Biden in May, South Korea and the U.S. formed a partnership with respect to COVID-19 vaccine supply. During his official trip to the Group of Seven summit in June, South Korea was highly acknowledged for its successful early response to the pandemic and enhanced presence in the semiconductor and battery industries.
These have helped Moon to maintain a support rate of approximately 40 percent in recent months, which is quite high, given that his presidency will end in eight months.
