Protecting peace, prosperity on Korean Peninsula ‘an absolute duty’, says Moon

October 2, 2017

SEOUL – South Korea’s President,Moon Jae-in, has reaffirmed his Administration’s will to protect peace on the Korean Peninsula. Addressing a ceremony for the nation’s 69th Armed Forces Day. He said: “Our descendants should benefit from co-prosperity on a free and peaceful Korean Peninsula.

“Protecting peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula is the absolute duty granted by the constitution to the President and it cannot be ignored,” he said. 

Moon said that the current security crisis involving the Korean Peninsula cannot cause Seoul to give up its will to protect peace. And he emphasised that strengthened security was required for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula. 

“Our government will maintain a state of strong military preparation, based on the firm Korea-U.S. joint defence posture,” the President said. 

“We will do our utmost to stably maintain the situation in order to prevent heightened tension from causing military collision, and to strengthen military deterrence.”  

To deter Pyongyang’s nuclear provocations, Moon highlighted the importance of bolstering the joint defence capability between the Republic of Korea and the U.S. 

He noted the need to quickly regain wartime operational control from the U.S., based on the independent defence capability of the Republic of Korea. He said, “If we have our own wartime operational control, Pyongyang would fear us more and our citizens would trust us more.”  www.korea.net (ATI).