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Moon instructs preparations for 'frequent' summit talks with N. Korea
By YonhapPublished : May 28, 2018 - 15:26
President Moon Jae-in ordered his aides Monday to make necessary arrangements for his unexpected meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the future, saying he plans to meet the North Korean leader whenever necessary.
The call came two days after the leaders of the divided Koreas held an unannounced meeting on the North Korean side of Panmunjom, a border village that sits directly on the Military Demarcation Line that divides the two Koreas.
The latest meeting marked the second Moon-Kim meeting after the leaders' historic summit held on the South Korean side of Panmunjom on April 27.
"The most meaningful thing in the latest South-North Korea summit was the fact that we skipped complicated procedures and protocols and met casually as if holding an everyday meeting," the president said in a weekly meeting with his aides held at his office Cheong Wa Dae.
"I ask you to make necessary preparations in advance to make sure there will not be any gap in the line of military command while keeping in mind that similar meetings could be held again in the future," he told the meeting, according to Cheong Wa Dae pool reports.
Such preparations should also include ways to notify other related countries before or after a meeting, as well as how to enable on-spot media coverage, the president noted.
Moon still stressed the importance of more formal and scheduled meetings, citing his scheduled trip to Pyongyang later in the year for what would be his third inter-Korean summit with Kim.
"Regularly holding formal summits, such as the one held in Panmunjom or the Pyongyang summit scheduled to be held this fall, are very important for the development of South-North Korea relations. And it would further facilitate a swift development of the South-North Korean relationship if we could frequently hold practical discussions on either side of the South and the North whenever there is an urgent need," the president was quoted as saying.
Turning to domestic issues, the president urged stepped-up efforts to create more jobs and further boost economic growth.
The president said the overall conditions may have improved in the first quarter, with the local economy estimated to have expanded 3.7 percent on-year.
However, the people may feel otherwise, he noted, adding the average income of households in the lower 20 percent bracket has in fact dwindled over the cited period.
"This means there may be a large gap between macroeconomic indexes and the way the people feel," Moon said.
"I ask you to push for the main direction of our economic policies for the year without any disruption. In addition, I ask you to enhance our policies for the low-income earners who may be excluded from the benefits of economic growth." (Yonhap)
