South Korea’s President Calls for Fresh Talks to Improve Ties with North Korea

(TKG) ─ The president of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, urged for new talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in his annual New Year’s speech on Tuesday [January 07, 2020]. 

In an annual New Year’s speech in Seoul, Moon called for new talks with Kim Jong Un, and promised to keep up work to facilitate communication between North Korea and the US.

“In a time of deadlock in US-North Korea talks — and where we are even concerned about a step backward in inter-Korean relations — we are in desperate need of practical ways to improve inter-Korean cooperation,” Mr. Moon said.

North Korea, however, has not responded to recent overtures from the government in Seoul.

The relationship between the two countries has waned in recent years due to international sanctions that restrict most business with North Korea, leading Pyongyang to ignore Seoul’s recent proposals for cooperation.