Moon's special adviser urges N.K. to resume inter-Korean talks before new U.S. president takes office

SEOUL, Oct. 27 (Yonhap) -- A special security adviser to President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday called on North Korea to resume dialogue with South Korea before a new U.S. administration kicks in after next week's election.

Moon Chung-in, special adviser for diplomatic affairs, made the remark during the "Korea-China-Japan Peace Forum" hosted by the National Unification Advisory Council, urging Pyongyang to respond positively to Seoul's calls for dialogue.

"The two Koreas need to improve inter-Korean relations and hold a summit meeting as soon as possible, and they must especially resume dialogue before a new administration takes office after the U.S. election," he said.

Moon urged North Korea to be "more forward-looking" to calls for inter-Korean cooperation and dialogue, saying that "nuclear weapons cannot guarantee their survival and prosperity."

He then stressed the need to formally end the Korean War as part of the denuclearization process.

"As the president mentioned, it is important to simultaneously pursue denuclearization and a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. The end-of-war declaration acts as a door to this," he said.

Moon also called on the leaders of South Korea, China and Japan to cooperate to prevent a "new Cold War" that could bring "catastrophic results" to Northeast Asia.

"We have to prevent a new Cold War from breaking out on the Korean Peninsula at all costs ... North Korean denuclearization is important in that sense," he added.

Inter-Korean relations have stalled since the no-deal summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump last year.

Tensions further escalated after the North blew up a joint liaison office in June and fatally shot a South Korean fisheries official in its waters last month.

julesyi@yna.co.kr
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