KOREA PEACE PROCESS. President Moon Jae-in speaks at a Cheong Wa Dae meeting with representatives from the members of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) on Nov. 7, 2019. Moon asked the OANA member news agencies to continue their support for the Korea peace process. (Photo courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL -- President Moon Jae-in on Thursday asked for continued attention and support for the Korea peace process from Asia-Pacific news agencies, as he greeted their representatives at Cheong Wa Dae.
"Peace on the Korean Peninsula is a starting point for achieving a peace community of co-prosperity," Moon said in a meeting with the heads of 32 news agencies from 28 countries.
They gathered in Seoul for a regular general assembly of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA).
Moon noted that the wire services have dispatched news on peace efforts, which began with the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in earnest, to the entire world.
They conveyed "historic scenes," including three rounds of inter-Korean summits last year, U.S. President Donald Trump's crossing over the Military Demarcation Line into North Korea and a trilateral Panmunjom meeting involving North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Moon said.
"There are still many hurdles to overcome, but (peace) is the way (we) must go," he said. "I believe your attention and support will be of big help."
Moon said a deal on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), reached in Bangkok earlier this week during his trip there, represents a "very important opportunity" for the expansion of free trade in the region and co-prosperity.
"It is also a great achievement in that it will serve as a very important stepping stone for moving toward a reciprocal and open trade system, economic development without gaps and an economic community," Moon said.
It also conforms with the spirit of people-centered prosperity which the South Korean government is pursuing under the New Southern Policy and the New Northern Policy, he added. Moon made a three-day visit to the Thai capital for the Asean Plus Three summits, the East Asia Summit session and an RCEP summit.
He reminded the participants of South Korea's plan to host a special commemorative summit with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and a separate summit with Mekong nations in Busan late this month.
"It will be a meaningful event" to discuss ways for the drastic development of relations between South Korea and its future partners for win-win growth, he added.
They included Yonhap News Agency CEO Cho Sung-boo and delegates from China's Xinhua News Agency, Japan's Kyodo News and Russia's TASS news agency. (Yonhap)
