This combo photo shows ROK President Moon Jae-in (left) and US President Joe Biden. (PHOTOS / AFP)
SEOUL – The Republic of Korea’s (ROK) President Moon Jae-in pledged on Thursday to upgrade the country’s alliance with the United States and prepare a comprehensive strategy on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in a phone call with US President Joe Biden, Moon’s office said.
The call comes as Moon, who had offered to be a mediator between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), faces the challenge of getting the stalled talks between Washington and Pyongyang back on track.
It also comes a day after ROK’s unification minister in charge of inter-Korean affairscalled on the US to flexibly enforce sanctions aimed at curbing Pyongyang’s nuclear programs to revive denuclearization talks.
READ MORE: ROK urges US flexibility on sanctions to restart DPRK talks
We will always stand together as we work for peace on the Korean Peninsula and tackle global challenges.
Moon Jae-in,
ROK president
“We will always stand together as we work for peace on the Korean Peninsula and tackle global challenges,” Moon said in a statement after his 8 am call with Biden.
The two leaders affirmed the necessity to prepare a comprehensive DPRK strategy aimed at denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, presidential spokesman Kang Min-seok said.
“President Biden appraised the efforts of South Korea, the key country involved to resolve the issue on the Korean Peninsula,… and said will work closely with the South towards a common goal,” Kang said.
The ROK is also referred to as South Korea, and the DPRK as North Korea.
The White House said in a statement that Biden stressed his commitment to strengthen US-ROK alliance and the two countries had agreed to coordinate closely on DPRK.
DPRK leader Kim Jong-un and former US president Donald Trump agreed to work towards the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula at their first summit in 2018, but a second summit and subsequent working-level talks fell apart.
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Moon also welcomed what he described as “America’s return” in the midst of mounting global challenges – the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and economic polarization.
Biden has said a response to climate change will create new jobs, while Moon has introduced his ambitious Green New Deal aimed at economic recovery from the coronavirus fallout.
During a call in November after Biden’s election victory, Moon vowed to promote economic relations with the United States by building a carbon neutral economy.
Biden and Moon also touched on the situation in Myanmar, the White House said.