By Yoon Sojung
Photos = Cheong Wa Dae

President Moon Jae-in held a series of summits with leaders from Switzerland, Germany and Poland at Cheong Wa Dae on Feb. 8.

During the meetings, President Moon and the other heads of state discussed cooperation on the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, issues involving the Korean Peninsula and bilateral cooperation.

Earlier that day, President Moon hosted Swiss President Alain Berset. In the meeting, President Moon told his Swiss counterpart that, “The joint South-North Korean women’s ice hockey team will pave a new path for peace and harmony,” while wishing good luck to both the joint Korean team and to the Swiss team, which will meet each other in the preliminary rounds of the women's ice hockey competition on Feb. 10.

Hoping for a success of the upcoming Winter Olympics, the Swiss president said, “Dialogue must continue in order to build a peace structure, even after the end of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.”




After meeting with the Swiss leader, President Moon met with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

President Moon said, “As Germany successfully overcame its division, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s visit to Korea holds significance amid a time of high hopes for improvement in inter-Korean relations and for the ‘Peace Olympics,' backed by the participation of North Korean athletes.”

President Steinmeier said he will always support President Moon’s endeavors toward making the Korean Peninsula a peaceful region, while highlighting the importance of humanitarian exchanges, such as meetings between separated families and visits among the peoples of the two Koreas.




In the meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda later that day, President Moon also underlined the importance of peace on the Korean Peninsula.

President Moon said that Poland has been contributing to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula as a member of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC). He thanked the country for actively supporting Seoul’s North Korean policy by issuing a statement that welcomed the resumption of South-North Korean dialogue.

President Moon asked for continued support from Poland so that the recent mood of dialogue and reconciliation between the two Koreas could last even after the end of the Winter Olympics, and develop into dialogue that would lead to the peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear weapons issue.

arete@korea.kr