A senior researcher of a conservative American think tank has praised President Moon Jae-in’s diplomacy and security-related policies, saying they have been welcomed by the U.S.

Bruce Klingner, Senior Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, made the assessment during a joint forum in Washington on Thursday.

Klinger said he was surprised by Moon’s shift to the middle on diplomatic and North Korea policies, pointing to his decision to allow the deployment of a U.S. THAAD antimissile system to South Korea.

He said Moon also acknowledged that resuming operation of the inter-Korean Gaesong Industrial Complex will violate UN Security Council resolutions. At the same time, the president refused the North’s proposal that Seoul and Washington suspend their joint military exercises in return for the suspension of the North’s nuclear missile tests.

Klinger also complimented Moon for underscoring that it is not the time for dialogue with the North, but for pressuring the regime until there is a visible sign it will change its policies. 

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