By Sohn JiAe
June 2, 2017 l Cheong Wa Dae

On June 2, President Moon Jae-in sought former U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's advice on how to handle diplomatic issues.

“I ask for your insight into setting diplomatic policies and addressing diplomatic issues,” said President Moon. “Although it’s possible to solve domestic politics by means of communication, it’s not that easy in terms of diplomatic matters outside of Korea that we currently face. I call on you to share the expertise and wisdom that you gained serving as U.N. secretary general over the years.”

In response, Ban said that, “Balance is a crucial factor in diplomacy. It’s the nation’s duty to together solve the challenges and other things, too, that face the country.”

The former U.N. head called on the new Korean government to “create a 'control tower' that will centralize oversight on bringing to Korea sustainable growth, a goal that the U.N. has pursued.”

Mentioning the upcoming Korea-U.S. summit, the former U.N. secretary general stressed that, “The summit should be done in a polite and confident manner. You should see the Seoul-Washington alliance as the cornerstone of dealing with North Korean issues, and take advantage of the common ground that the U.S. and Korea share concerning the North Korean regime’s nuclear weapons programs.”

“Your philosophy -- that Pyongyang issues will be addressed comprehensively, fundamentally and in stages -- is on par with the way in which the U.S. deals with them,” Ban continued. “With your new government in its early days, you should talk closely with the U.S. about these issues, all while taking a principled posture toward the North, too.”

“It’s also important to improve the strained inter-Korean relations by taking a humanitarian approach, for example, by resuming reunions of separated families on both sides, or by taking advantage of non-political, less controversial events, like, next year’s PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games,” he advised.

jiae5853@korea.kr