청와대 '미, 회담취소 발표 거의 동시 주미대사관에 통보' NSC 상임위 '실낱 희망 있는 한 포기 안해'
The nation's top office says the White House informed the South Korean embassy in Washington just as they released Trump's summit cancellation letter to the North.
And according to our Won Junghwan..., the liberal leader and his team appear determined to do all they can to make the maiden meeting happen.
"Baffled and very regretful" were the immediate words from South Korean President Moon Jae-in in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's abrupt cancellation of the planned meeting with North
Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore that had been set for June 12th.
South Korea's presidential Blue House said Friday afternoon that the South Korean embassy in Washington had received notice from the White House as the White House released Mr. Trump's summit cancellation letter to North Korea on Thursday.
That, based on Seoul's top office explanation, took a little while.
In a statement released following an hour long emergency meeting of his National Security Council at midnight, the South Korean president urged both North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump to resolve the issue through direct dialogue.
He said, "The sensitivity and difficulty of such diplomatic issues call for direct and more close dialogue by the leaders. The current way of communication just will not work."
That position was reiterated in a meeting of the National Security Council standing committee later in the afternoon.
"The NSC members confirmed the need for direct communication between the leaders of North Korea and the U.S. and agreed to continue to pursue all necessary efforts."
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President Moon's top security officials also agreed that it's important to continue making efforts to improve inter-Korean relations based on the April 27th Panmunjom Declaration and that such efforts
will in the end help better North Korea, U.S. ties and create another momentum for a complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
So, for now, it looks like South Korean President Moon and his team hasn't given up on the last strand of hope for June 12th in Singapore... and will hustle to try and bring the Kim and Trump together again.
Because... he still needs Pyongyang and Washington to get along for his own agenda: for lasting peace to succeed on the Korean Peninsula.
Won Junghwan, Arirang News.
