South Korean Leader Plans Talks With Donald Trump In Hope Of Ending Korean War By 2019

Earlier this week, Moon Jae-in held a three-day summit with Kim Jong Un.
Trump and Moon at a November 2017 meeting
Trump and Moon at a November 2017 meeting
Jonathan Ernst / Reuters

South Korea leader Moon Jae-in has revealed that he is going to set up talks with Donald Trump, in order to work towards officially declaring an end the Korean War by the end of the year.

Moon was speaking shortly after a three-day summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and stated that they discussed the best way to achieve their goal.

According to Moon, Kim wants to meet with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Pyongyang for nuclear talks, before a second summit with the US President.

Briefing reporters in Seoul, he added that he will carry a private message from Kim to Trump, when he meets the president at a UN meeting in New York next week.

The conflict in Korea occurred between 1950 and 1953 but because it ended with a ceasefire and not a peace treaty, the War is technically still continuing.

Moon and Kim's three-day summit seems to have been a success
Moon and Kim's three-day summit seems to have been a success
Pool via Getty Images

The focus of Moon and Kim’s Pyongyang summit was nuclear disarmament and midway through it, they revealed Kim has agreed to permanently dismantle a North Korea missile engine test site and launch pad in the presence of outside inspectors.

If the US take corresponding measures, he will also destroy his main nuclear complex.

“We have agreed to make the Korean Peninsula a land of peace that is free from nuclear weapons and nuclear threat,” Kim said, as the leaders made a joint statement earlier this week. “The road to our future will not always be smooth and we may face challenges and trials we can’t anticipate.

“But we aren’t afraid of headwinds because our strength will grow as we overcome each trial based on the strength of our nation.”

Tweeting shortly after the pair’s joint address, Trump praised the leaders’ move towards disarmament but made no mention of Kim’s call for the US to also take measures.

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