Speaking at a meeting with his senior aides at the top office on Monday, President Moon Jae-in expressed his hope for the successful U.S.-North Korea summit.

[Sound bite: President Moon Jae-in (Korean)]

“The North Korea-U.S. summit will finally take place tomorrow, after much anticipation by the world. Now only the [actual] meeting of the century is waiting to happen. I expect that it will be the historic milestone from war to peace.”

“I hope that the summit will produce a big accord on ending the hostile relations and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Thanks to decisions by President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un, it was possible to come this far.”

“I hope that the two leaders make brave decisions to boldly accept each other’s demands so that the global hope for a new era of the Korean Peninsula can be realized.”   

Moon then asked South Korean citizens to be patient, saying that the task of ending the hostile U.S.-North Korea relations and resolving the nuclear issue may take a long time after the two sides find a breakthrough. He also emphasized that inter-Korean dialogue must parallel the improving Washington-Pyongyang relations, asking the Korean people to keep in mind that Korean Peninsula issues must be solved by Koreans. 

[Photo : YONHAP News]