15 September 2017

News Story: Moon's security advisor restates need to mull reducing allied drills in return for N.K. nuke freeze

Moon Chung-in - 2015 (Image: Wiki Commons)
SEOUL, Sept. 14 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in's security advisor on Thursday reiterated his "personal" opinion that South Korea needs to consider scaling back its military drills with the United States in return for North Korea's nuclear freeze, saying all options should remain open.

During a peace forum, Moon Chung-in, professor at Seoul's Yonsei University, also dismissed growing opposition calls for Seoul to seek the redeployment of U.S. tactical nukes here, stressing a peaceful resolution through dialogue is "the best way" to go.

The advisor made a series of peace proposals amid cross-border tensions that have been heightened by Pyongyang's two intercontinental ballistic missile tests in July and its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date on Sept. 3.

But he struck a cautious note, saying the proposals are his "scholarly" views. In June, he came under fire for floating the idea of reducing South Korea-U.S. military exercises in return for the North's moratorium on its nuclear and missile activities -- a claim the presidential office dismissed as his "personal" view.

"It would be possible to seek dialogue on the condition that the North would freeze its nuclear activities, but the claim that dialogue is possible only when the North denuclearizes itself is a difficult demand.... We need a realistic approach," Moon said.

Read the full story at YonhapNews