[Joint Press Corps]
Moon Jae-in, who is favored to become South Korea's next president, has outlined his policy of engaging in realistic diplomacy that emphasizes national interests, based on a strong alliance with the United States.
In his obligatory TV speech Wednesday as a presidential candidate from the main opposition Democratic Party, Moon promised to bolster South Korea's traditional ties with the United States while trying to restore strained relations with China if he wins the May 9 election.
Under his foreign policy titled "diplomacy of cooperation with priority on national interests", Moon suggested South Korea should accelerate the establishment of its own missile defense system and beef up its independent military power.
"North Korea should choose to follow the path of isolation and collapse by sticking to its nuclear and missile (programs), or go to the path of peace and prosperity by abandoning them," he said.
He said he would endeavor to prevent war on the Korean peninsula "with strict crisis management and a solid alliance" between South Korea and the United states without tolerating any North Korean military provocations. The former human rights lawyer called for South Korea's diplomatic initiative to lead "simultaneous" actions by North Korea, the United States and other parties concerned.
He also promised to change North Korea by inheriting the "Sunshine" policy of cross-border engagement and cooperation which was adopted by South Korea's late ex-president Kim Dae-jung and opened an era of detente. Kim's successor, Roh Moo-hyun, followed suit and favored equidistant or independent diplomacy.
In his message delivered to Beijing Wednesday through China's top envoy in Seoul, Qiu Guohong, Moon proposed an early summit meeting between Chinese and South Korean leaders, if elected, to further "strategic cooperation and partnership" between the two countries.
However, he urged Beijing to focus on reigning in North Korea instead of bashing South Korea over the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. He has already expressed his willingness to use the US missile shield as a "diplomatic card" saying it could be up for negotiations at the next South Korean government.
Denuclearization should be realized in a "gradual and comprehensive" way through the combination of dialogue and pressure, he said, supporting multilateral and bilateral negotiations on curbing North Korea's nuclear development.
Moon advocates the early resumption of stalled cross-border exchanges and dialogue, but he believes North Korea's sixth nuclear test is certain to prolong a frozen atmosphere even after a new leader takes over in Seoul.
Citing a nuclear freeze as an essential precondition, he proposed a "comprehensive, gradual and simultaneous" settlement of such key issues as denuclearization, a peace accord and diplomatic normalization between Pyongyang and Washington. North Korea wants a non-aggression accord with the United States to end their decades-long hostility.
Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
