South Korean President Criticizes Trump's Denuclearization Attempt; diplomacy with North Korea failed
South Korean President Moon Jae-in has criticized Donald Trump's efforts to denuclearize the Korean peninsula, saying he "failed" in his diplomacy toward North Korea.
"He beat around the bush and couldn't get ahead," Moon said of the former US president in an interview with the New York Times.
The South Korean president, who is scheduled to meet with US President Joe Biden next month, said he expects him to "fall as a historic leader" for having made substantial and irreversible progress in the stalled denuclearization process.
Moon said denuclearization is a "matter of survival" for South Korea.
His remarks come at the crucial moment in which the president of the United States is scheduled to meet with him next month and as Moon is in his final year in office. The South Korean president helped negotiate two meetings between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
He criticized Trump for failing to secure any long-term concessions from Pyongyang before withdrawing from the second summit scheduled in Hanoi. The talks were stalled for nearly two years and the two countries failed to reach an agreement on denuclearization.
Moon also said that the deterioration in China-U.S. Relations could possibly undermine denuclearization negotiations.
"If the tensions between the United States and China escalate, North Korea can take advantage of them and capitalize on them," Mood said, urging Biden to cooperate with Beijing.
Moon urged the United States to embark on a "mutual trust roadmap" with North Korea.
"I hope that Biden will position himself as a historic president who has made substantive and irreversible progress towards complete denuclearization and the peace agreement on the Korean peninsula," Moon added.
The Biden administration has yet to reveal his foreign policy on North Korea, but said the review of his policy is in the final stages.
Seen as provocations at the "lower end of the spectrum" by Biden administration officials, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles last month in defiance of UN resolutions that have banned those launched by the country. The launch raised concerns, with experts calling it a tactic to pressure the US president, as it was the first test of its kind after he took office.
Trump indirectly defended his relationship with Kim during a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity.
"I have a great relationship with a certain man who has great power over North Korea," Trump said.
