Tag: Moon Jae-in

President Moon Addresses Military on ROK Armed Forces Day

| October 2, 2019

Here is what President Moon had to say in commemoration of the 71st anniversary of the ROK Military:

President Moon Jae-in, standing in the car on the right, reviews an F-35A stealth fighter during a ceremony to mark the 71st Armed Forces Day at an Air Force base in Daegu on Tuesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday pledged to build an unassailable military force capable of supporting peace building on the peninsula in remarks at a ceremony to commemorate Korea’s 71st Armed Forces Day.

The ceremony took place for the first time at an Air Force base in Daegu, home to the Air Force’s main combat force of F-15K jets, and featured an unveiling of the country’s new F-35A stealth fighter jets recently acquired from the United States.

In an address, Moon commended the military for defending the freedoms of every South Korean to enjoy peace and prosperity and said it was this defensive might that would buttress the country’s efforts to build a permanent peace regime on the peninsula.

“Peace should not be something to maintain but to create,” Moon said, according to a Blue House translation. “The impenetrable security of our armed forces underpins dialogue and cooperation, enabling us to embark on a bold journey toward permanent peace.”

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

President Moon Lists U.S. Weapons Purchases to President Trump

| September 26, 2019

It appears that the ROK strategy for not paying more for USFK cost sharing is to imply that they may reduce their purchase of U.S. weapons if they pay more:

President Moon Jae-in outlined to U.S. President Donald Trump Korea’s plans to purchase many American weapons over the next three years as they held a summit in New York on Monday.

A Blue House official told reporters that Moon during the talks briefed Trump on Seoul’s weapons purchases over the past decade and “also plans for our purchases for the next three years.”

Moon is expected to have explained to Trump Seoul’s purchase of American weapons systems between 2009 and 2018. This is likely to have included the acquisition of 40 F-35A Lockheed Martin stealth fighters and three American-made Aegis combat systems, worth some $6.279 billion, according to data by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri).

During the 10-year time frame, Korea ranked as the fourth-largest U.S. weapons importer, following Saudi Arabia, Australia and the United Arab Emirates, according to Sipri data.

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

President Moon Heads to U.S. for Summit with President Trump

| September 23, 2019

President Moon is heading to the U.S. for what is believed to be a summit with President Trump that will lead to revived talks with North Korea:

President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook wave before leaving for New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, from Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday. Yonhap

President Moon Jae-in flew to New York, Sunday, to attend this year’s United Nations General Assembly amid renewed hopes for a restart of dialogue aimed at ending Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program.

Cheong Wa Dae said the President planned to use his visit to the U.N. to highlight South Korea’s efforts to bring lasting peace to the Korean Peninsula. More importantly, Moon is widely expected to suggest to the international community that a step-by-step approach be taken toward denuclearizing the North. Moon arrived at JFK International Airport, Monday morning (KST). 

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but whenever you hear the term, “step-by-step approach” this means “pretend denuclearization“.

Tweet of the Day: President Moon’s Approval Rating Falls to 40%

| September 22, 2019