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South Korean President Moon Jae-in vowed to prevent a war from breaking out again on the Korean Peninsula on Tuesday, while he was speaking at a ceremony marking the 72nd anniversary of the country's liberation from the 1910-1945 Japanese colonial rule.
Moon said that South Korea will prevent a war "at all cost," and that it will resolve the DPRK nuclear issue peacefully, "no matter how many ups and downs there are."
Previous presidents before Moon, who took office in May, have traditionally made the DPRK the core of their speeches, mainly focusing on policy to engage Pyongyang.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in
Moon also called for the DPRK to halt its provocations and return to the negotiations' table.
"I call upon the North Korean (DPRK) government: without international cooperation and co-existence economic development is impossible," said Moon. "If you continue on this path there will only be international isolation and a dark future."
Tension on the Korean Peninsula has increased in recent week as the DPRK and the US exchanged threats of military action. Pyongyang said it will develop a plan to fire missiles to land in waters near the US Pacific territory of Guam.
Earlier on Tuesday, the DPRK said it would keep fire-ready regarding its Guam plans while watching the actions of the US for a while longer.
As for the relationship between South Korea and Japan, Moon said that the historical issues between the two countries cannot be ignored just because the future is important.
"The mutual trust of the two countries will only deepen when they squarely address history-related issues," Moon added.
(REUTERS)
