Symposium on ‘North Korea’s Nuclear Crisis and Four-Power Diplomacy’ Highlights the Need for Sanctions and Pressure on North Korea
Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Urges Diplomatic Power to Build Friendly Relations with US Presidential Candidates
Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
[Photographed by Jeong Yun-ju]
Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon emphasized the importance of exercising diplomatic power to build friendly relations with both the Democratic and Republican candidates in the US ahead of the US presidential election scheduled for November.
At a symposium titled “North Korea’s Nuclear Crisis and Four-Power Diplomacy: Resolving the North Korean Nuclear Issue through Four-Power Diplomacy,” co-hosted by Korea University’s Institute for Unification Studies and the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future, Ban Ki-moon expressed confidence in the ROK-US alliance, stating that it will never be shaken despite concerns about its future.
He emphasized the need to use diplomatic power to interact with both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump (candidates) and build friendly relations. Ban Ki-moon also highlighted the effectiveness of sanctions, citing North Korea’s recent drastic reduction in the number of its overseas missions.
He stressed that sanctions and pressure must be maintained to achieve North Korea’s denuclearization. As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, Ban Ki-moon suggested that South Korea, the US, and Japan should work together to devise effective means to implement sanctions.
Ban Ki-moon also emphasized the need for active communication with China, citing North Korea’s “complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization” (CVID). He stated that China’s influence over North Korea is crucial and that diplomatic efforts should be made to ensure China’s active intervention in North Korea.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yeol emphasized the importance of strong deterrence against North Korea, highlighting the South Korea-U.S. alliance as the key to responding to the increasingly sophisticated North Korean nuclear and missile threats.
Cho also stressed the importance of ROK-US-Japan security cooperation, stating that it is absolutely necessary to respond to the North Korean nuclear threat. He added that the ROK-US alliance and ROK-US-Japan cooperation are like gears that work together, and that efforts will be made to strengthen ROK-US-Japan security cooperation.
