President Moon Jae-in said Friday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s idea of denuclearization matches that of the US and Seoul.

Speaking at a meeting with the Cheong Wa Dae press corps, Moon said Kim has made it clear that his idea of denuclearization is the same, but that this outcome can only be achieved if the North’s conditions are met. 

“Between the two Koreas, the term complete denuclearization is used, and what complete denuclearization means is the same as the denuclearization the US wants,” Moon said.

Moon was responding to a question on whether Kim has stated that he is willing to give up North Korea’s existing nuclear weapons during conversations with the South Korean president.

Moon stressed that Kim has made those intentions clear to other world leaders, including US President Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping.

Moon added that Kim’s intentions to denuclearize are conditional on North Korea being guaranteed “security and a bright future.”

“The issue is whether the conditions Kim Jong-un wants can be provided by the US through dialogue.”

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)