President Moon Jae-in opted to take a brief respite after returning from Russia as he is tasked with resolving the escalating tension on the Korean Peninsula following North Korea's latest nuclear test, his office said Sunday.
The chief executive was seen going on a hike on Mount Bugak on Saturday, as some netizens posted pictures of him online, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts.
The liberal-leaning president, who took office in May, shoulders mounting tasks to diffuse the regional tension as Pyongyang conducted its sixth and the most powerful nuclear experiment last Sunday.
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This photo, taken by a citizen and posted on an online community site, shows President Moon Jae-in taking a hike on Mount Bugak with his dog on Sept. 10, 2017. (Yonhap) |
He returned from his two-day visit to Vladivostok on Friday, where he held talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over the North's nuke test. Moon made a proposal to Putin of cutting off oil supplies to the North as punishment, but the Russian leader displayed reluctance, saying ordinary people in the North could be hurt.
The president gave the green light Thursday for the full deployment of a US anti-missile system, making a compromise in his own policy as he had been cautious about completing the deployment -- a decision made by his predecessor Park Geun-hye -- pending its environmental assessment.
Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Moon was frequently briefed by his top advisers over the past three days on any movements or changes related to the regional security situation in the wake of the North's provocation.
"The president is also preparing for his scheduled visit to New York, and how he will bring his agenda to the table with the leaders of other nations," a Cheong Wa Dae official said. "He has been also keeping tabs on any possible additional provocations by the North on its founding anniversary that fell over the weekend."
His aides underlined that the president is contemplating ways to quell the tensions on the peninsula after Pyongyang's test of a "hydrogen bomb" and that taking a short break this weekend demonstrates he is dealing with the issue in a measured manner.
"It may well be a message (from the president) of reassurance to the people that the government remains unfazed over the current situation and that he is confident of tackling the problem," the official added. (Yonhap)
