Seoul, (Asian independent) South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Monday that his government will move ahead with “realistic and practical” cooperation with North Korea despite international constraints, adding that the coronavirus crisis may provide the neighbours with a new opportunity for partnership.
He was apparently referring to UN-led sanctions on Pyongyang as he spoke on the occasion of the second anniversary of his historic Panmunjom summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who has not been in the public eye for weeks leading to speculations about his health, reports Yonhap News Agency.
Little progress so far in following up on the Panmunjom Declaration was not due to the lack of the two Koreas’ commitment to actions but because of a failure to overcome the existing international restrictions, Moon said during a weekly meeting with his senior presidential aides.
“But we can’t just wait for the conditions to improve,” Moon stressed.
“We must continue to do even small things that we can do amid realistic constraints.”
He cited a joint response to COVID-19, infectious diseases in animals, disasters in border areas and climate change.
He also said South Korea will do what it can in connection with the project to relink inter-Korean railways.
