President to be briefed on outcome of visits by special envoys

By a2016032

Published : May 24, 2017 - 09:13 Updated : May 24, 2017 - 09:13

South Korean President Moon Jae-in was set to meet his special envoys to the United States, Japan and China on Wednesday to be briefed on their recent trips to the countries that were partly aimed at arranging Moon's summit meetings with his foreign counterparts.

The special envoys were also expected to deliver replies to Moon's personal messages to the leaders of the three countries, according to officials at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in (center) walks with his special envoys before a luncheon at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae on May 16, 2017.

The meeting was set to begin at 2:30 p.m. at Cheong Wa Dae, involving Hong Seok-hyun, who recently returned home after his trip to Washington for a meeting with US President Donald Trump and other ranking US officials.

The envoys, including former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan and ruling party lawmaker Moon Hee-sang who have traveled to China and Japan, respectively, were given the assignment of relaying the new South Korean president's personal gratitude to the foreign leaders who congratulated him on his victory in the May 9 presidential election.

Moon was inaugurated the day after the rare presidential by-election caused by the ouster of his conservative predecessor Park Geun-hye in March over a series of corruption allegations.

Still, the envoys had been also tasked with discussing the latest and most urgent diplomatic and other bilateral issues with their host countries, which, according to many here, have been left unattended at least since the parliamentary impeachment of Park late last year.

They included, for instance with China, a row over the recent deployment of the US missile defense system THAAD in South Korea, which has also led to China's apparent economic retaliation against many South Korean businesses in China.

During their telephone conversation following Moon's inauguration, the new South Korean leader asked his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to personally look into the issue and put an end to his country's apparent retribution.

Following special envoy Lee's trip to Beijing and his meeting with Xi there, there have been many reports of a thawing mood between the countries.

Earlier reports noted TV and online ads starring South Korean celebrities have re-emerged in China for the first time in months.

Issues with Japan were much more complicated and apparently remain unresolved despite special envoy Moon's recent trip.

Such issues include a 2015 deal over Japan's sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II, under which Tokyo agreed to provide 1 billion yen (US$8.94 million) in compensation for Korean women forced into sexual servitude, including dozens who are still alive.

The South Korean president has clearly expressed his plan to renegotiate the agreement, saying his people cannot and do not accept the deal.

Moon, however, has also expressed his willingness to resume summit talks with Japanese leaders that have been stalled over the past four years partly due to the thorny historical issue, saying the countries' cooperation was necessary, especially for their joint objective of denuclearizing North Korea, despite their differences over history issues. (Yonhap)