Denuclearization Commitment

[Anchor Lead]

Upon his return to Seoul from his North Korea trip, President Moon Jae-in once again said that the North Korean leader is strongly committed to denuclearization and that he and Kim want a peace treaty to be signed within this year.

[Pkg]

In a public address delivered shortly upon his arrival from his trip to North Korea, President Moon Jae-in said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had expressed hope that complete denuclearization will be achieved as soon as possible.

[Soundbite] Pres. Moon Jae-in : "Chairman Kim Jong-un has reiterated his strong commitment to denuclearization. He said he hopes to achieve complete denuclearization as soon as possible so that he can focus on economic development."

Moon also said that Kim hopes to hold a second summit with the U.S. leader in the near future. The South Korean president added that he and Kim would want to declare the end of the Korean War within the year as the first step toward signing a peace treaty. He said the two leaders agreed that the peace treaty had nothing to do with the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Korean Peninsula.

[Soundbite] Pres. Moon Jae-in : "The declaration of the end of war is a kind of political agreement to cease all hostile relations. I believe it's a way to give trust to North Korea."

Moon touted the inter-Korean military agreement as the most significant outcome of his latest summit with Kim Jong-un.

[Soundbite] Pres. Moon Jae-in : "We will be able to move forward to reducing mutually threatening weapons and military troops such as long-range artillery that targets the Seoul metropolitan area."

Moon said Kim had accepted his request to lift the confiscation order for the separated family reunion facility in the Kumgangsan area in order to open a permanent reunion center.