South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in sees quarantine cooperation with North Korea as a viable way to jump-start a process to revive economy. The neighbouring countries will be mutually benefited from a broader range of inter-Korean cooperation projects, the Blue Palace said on Sunday.
Following a special address marking the third anniversary of his inauguration, President Moon pointed out that the two Koreas share the 248-kilometer-long Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) as a land border, a potential transmission route.
It is quite reasonable for the two neighbouring countries to cooperate, even amid crisis caused by the novel virus. Of course, the high standards of hygiene are must.
“It is worth pushing actively as a priority because it does not infringe upon U.N. Security Council sanctions, and contributes to hygiene and health of all people both in the South and the North,” Moon said of coronavirus cooperation.
Taking into account the latest developments in the region, President Moon’s offer of inter-Korean quarantine cooperation was not new. Although, his latest remarks reflected a sense of urgency over joint efforts amid growing concern about a “second round of pandemic,” Yonhap news agency reported on Sunday.
Talking about importance of such cooperation, Moon stressed that a string of cooperation proposals that Seoul has made so far remain “valid.” Among other envisioned programs are turning the DMZ into a UN-led peace zone and excavating war remains together. However, Pyongyang is not responding.
Moon also reaffirmed plans to seek inter-Korean projects in a pre-emptive way amid a drawn-out stalemate in denuclearization talks.
“Now, South and North Korea should find and do what they can,” not just waiting for progress in Washington-Pyongyang dialogue, Moon stressed.
South Korea’s president added that both inter-Korean and Washington-Pyongyang “communication” has not been severed, albeit not as brisk as before, as the nations are “confirming mutual trust and commitment to dialogue.”
