ROK president offers DPRK broader inter-Korean cooperation

SEOUL -- The President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Moon Jae-in on Tuesday offered a broader inter-Korean cooperation this year to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), while proposing concerted efforts to create conditions for top DPRK leader Kim Jong-un's visit to Seoul.

"It is very sorry that a bigger advance has not been made in inter-Korean cooperation for the past year," Moon said during his televised New Year's speech at the presidential complex Blue House.

Moon said both the ROK and the DPRK had paid more attention to dialogue between the DPRK and the United States on expectations that the door for an inter-Korean cooperation would be opened more rapidly and broadly if the DPRK-US dialogue succeeds.

Now that the deadlocked talks between Pyongyang and Washington were worried to set back inter-Korean relations, the need to seek "realistic measures" for the broader inter-Korean cooperation was more pressing than ever together with continued efforts for the success of the DPRK-US dialogue, Moon noted.

Moon suggested that the two Koreas would do things first they can for preventing war, securing mutual safety and achieving co-prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, citing cooperation in border region, sports exchange and economic cooperation.

"(The ROK) suggests the launch of cooperation in border regions for the common security of 80 million (Korean) people. I believe Chairman Kim Jong-un has the same will," Moon said.

Stressing the importance of sports exchange between the two Koreas, Moon brought forward his expectations for DPRK athletes to participate in ROK-hosted sports events this year such as the first East Asian Weightlifting Championships, set to be held in Seoul from Feb 26 to March 20, and the world table tennis championships slated to open in the southern port city of Busan on March 22.

Moon offered the DPRK the continued consultations on fielding a unified Korean team for this year's Tokyo Summer Olympics, set to open in late July, and marching together during an opening ceremony.

He reminded the DPRK of the agreement to co-host the 2032 Summer Olympics, which was reached between Moon and Kim during their summit. The two Koreas already delivered their intent to jointly play host to the Olympics to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

To build a peace economy on the peninsula, Moon suggested to the DPRK making concerted efforts to resume the currently suspended inter-Korean economic cooperation projects, or the Kaesong Industrial Complex and the tours to the DPRK's scenic resort of Mount Kumgang.

"I have a willingness to repeatedly meet and continuously talk (with the DPRK leader)," said Moon.

Moon expressed his hope that the ROK and the DPRK make joint efforts to create conditions for Kim's reciprocal visit to the ROK as early as possible.

The leaders of the two Koreas held summits three times in 2018. After the latest summit in Pyongyang in September 2018, Kim promised to visit Seoul at an early date.