Moon believes Trump well deserves Nobel prize: Cheong Wa Dae

SEOUL, Feb. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in has not personally nominated his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, to be considered for the Nobel Peace Prize but believes the U.S. leader may deserve such recognition for his leadership in helping establish peace on the Korean Peninsula, a Seoul office said Monday.

Trump earlier revealed that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has sent him a copy of a five-page letter he wrote to the Nobel committee, nominating Trump for the Nobel prize.

The official from Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae noted Moon may be unable to nominate Trump for the annual award as the deadline for nominations has already expired.

"However, it is President Moon's belief that (the U.S. president) is more than eligible for the Nobel Peace Prize as (Moon) has repeatedly stressed that President Trump has made great contributions to establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula by continuing North Korea-U.S. talks," Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom told a daily press briefing.

The U.S. president is set to hold his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this month. The two first met in Singapore in June.

Many believe Moon may be a strong, if not stronger, candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize as the ongoing efforts to build peace on the Korean Peninsula, including the Trump-Kim summit, followed his two historic summits with Kim in April and May.

Moon and Kim held their third bilateral summit in Pyongyang in September.

bdk@yna.co.kr
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