PRESIDENT MOON'S U.S. ACTIVITIES

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President Moon Jae-in arrived in New York today to attend the UN General Assembly and the Korea-U.S. summit. All eyes are on whether the South Korean president can play a mediating role during tomorrow's summit with President Trump, which will be held ahead of working-level talks between Pyongyang and Washington. Meanwhile, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said the Americans are approaching the issue of security guarantee for North Korea with an open mind.

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​President Moon Jae-in arrived in New York to start his five-day visit. The South Korea-U.S. summit is scheduled for early Tuesday morning, Korea time. The upcoming summit is President Moon's ninth sit-down with President Trump and comes just before working-level talks between Pyongyang and Washington, North Korea had proposed a guarantee for the regime's security and eased sanctions as agenda items for negotiations. South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said the Americans will be open-minded about North Korea's demands, adding the South Korean government will supports such an approach. She added that Seoul and Washington are jointly analyzing Pyongyang's notion about security guarantee. At the upcoming summit, President Moon is likely to focus on persuading the United States to be more flexible.

[Soundbite] KANG KYUNG-WHA(S. KOREAN FOREIGN MINISTER) : "It will be a good opportunity to boost Washington's understanding about our peace process for the Korean Peninsula and major policies as well as to strengthen cooperation and support from our key allies."

Possible agendas other than denuclearization include issues concerning the ROK-US alliance, such as a possible increase in South Korea's share of the defense costs for U.S. forces in Korea. The leaders of the two countries will also try to dispel concerns over chilled ROK-US relations stemming from South Korea's decision to terminate a military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan. President Moon plans to make a new proposal in relation to the guarantee for the North Korean regime's security during his speech at the UN General Assembly, which will be held after his summit with President Trump. His attendance at the UN gathering was decided as the dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington has come to a crucial juncture. All eyes are on whether President Moon's plans revealed at the bilateral summit and the UN General Assembly could lead to the opening of the third North Korea-U.S. summit.