Moon urges Putin to play active role in denuclearisation of North Korea

SEOUL - South Korean President, Moon Jae-in, and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Singapore to discuss co-operation for the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula -  and ways to boost bilateral ties.

A South Korean government statement said both leaders "exchanged opinions in a comprehensive manner on easing sanctions against North Korea".

President Putin reportedly said that "corresponding measures should follow if progress is made in the process of denuclearisation of North Korea". 

Moon had asked the Russian leader to play an active role so that the North could take denuclearisation measures in a bolder manner, said a South Korean Presidential spokesperson. 
Putin reportedly praised the efforts of Moon and his Administration for the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula, saying: "Remarkable progress has been made so far."

The Russian leader had added that "Chairman Kim is interested in visiting Russia, and Moscow has been consulting closely with Pyeongyang in this regard." 
In regard to Seoul-Moscow co-operation, the two leaders welcomed the launch of the Korea-Russia Local Cooperation Forum which opened last week, and expressed the hope that bilateral relations would develop into a full-scale co-operative relationship that encompassed both the central and local governments.

Both leaders agreed to work together to reach a bilateral trade volume of US$30 billion and people-to-people exchange of one million people by 2020, when the two countries mark the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic relationship. 

Both leaders reviewed implementation of the ongoing "nine bridge strategy", an initiative for co-operation In nine key sectors which Moon proposed in September last year: shipbuilding, port construction, development of a North Pole shipping route, gas exploration, railway construction, power generation, job creation, the farming industry, and the fishing industry. 
They also reviewed implementation of co-operation in the science, technology, health and medical sectors.

Putin, in particular, mentioned Moon's vision of the East Asian Railroad Community by saying that Russia would actively co-operate in order to realise the vision," the presidential spokesperson quoted the Russian leader as saying.   Korea.net  (ATI).