DENUCLEARIZATION TALKS AT G7 SUMMIT

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The leaders of the G7 Summit that closed on Sunday adopted a joint communique that called for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and called on North Korea to engage and resume dialogue. Meanwhile, President Moon Jae-in was disappointed that a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga failed to take place. He is now in Vienna, Austria.

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“We welcome the readiness of the United States to continue its diplomatic efforts in coordination with all relevant partners and call on the DPRK to engage and resume dialogue.” Those were the words from the G7 Summit Communique. The attending leaders called for the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula as well as the verifiable and irreversible abandonment of North Korea’s unlawful WMDs and ballistic missile programs. They strongly urged the regime to resume dialogue, supporting the Biden administration’s new North Korea policy. As if referring to China that still refuses to fully comply with the sanctions against Pyongyang, the leaders also called on all states to fully implement the relevant UNSC resolutions and associated sanctions. President Moon Jae-in exchanged only a short greeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga instead of a summit. The South Korean leader posted on his social media that it could have been a precious opportunity to make a new start in bilateral ties and expressed disappointment that a meeting did not take place. Moon also mentioned that many countries want to work together with Seoul, which is a proud achievement of the Korean people. He left the UK after the closing of the G7 Summit and arrived in his next destination, Vienna. This is the first visit to Austria by a South Korean president since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1892. President Moon will meet his Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Pellen to discuss ways to broaden bilateral partnership, including exchanges and cooperation in the science and technology sector.