South Korean President Moon Jae-In on Monday expressed hope regarding the summit between the United States and North Korea, saying a successful summit would be a birthday gift for US President Donald Trump.
As reported by the Strait Times, in an unexpected telephone conversation with Trump, Moon said that it was only the beginning of what was likely to be a years-long process of denuclearising North Korea.
During the conversation, Moon said that if the summit was successful, "it will be a great gift for not only the world but also President Trump's birthday on June 14."
"The deep-rooted hostile relationship and the North Korean nuclear issue cannot be resolved in one single action in a meeting between leaders. Even after the two leaders open the dialogue, we will need a long process that may take one year, two years or even longer to completely resolve the issues," Moon said in a weekly meeting with his top aides held at his office, Cheong Wa Dae, Yonhap news agency reported
He further stressed the need for joint efforts by the US, North Korea, and South Korea to ensure complete denuclearisation.
President Moon played an important role in breaking the ice between Trump and Kim and played his role in paving a way for this historic summit.
More From This Section
"President Trump has demonstrated his strong will to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula through his practical actions. Chairman Kim Jong Un, on the other hand, has shown his efforts for the success of the summit and his willingness to denuclearise through bold preemptive measures, including the dismantlement of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site," Moon added.
However, he noted that a single summit would not be sufficient for a successful denuclearisation.
He said that North-South Korea would themselves have to work for a successful inter-Korean dialogue.
Trump and Kim are soon going to begin their much-awaited summit at Changi in Singapore.