Moon, Putin vow to boost economic ties, work together on DPRK

World Today

South Korean president Moon Jae-in is in Moscow for a summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin. The leaders vowed to boost economic ties and support efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. CGTN’s Jessica King reports.

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To a room full of applause, the presidents signaled their growing economic and diplomatic ties. Collaborations on large-scale infrastructure projects were agreed on, as well as joint research in the fields of gas, energy, science and technology.

“We agreed also to boost our cooperation in order to allow the Korean peninsula and all of Eurasia to enjoy peace and prosperity,” South Korean president Moon Jae-in said.

They share a common goal: to see the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. Russia intends to continue playing its part in the peace process, and President Vladimir Putin believes the situation is slowly improving.

“You know that Russia has always stood for the normalization of the situation in the Korean peninsula,” Putin said. “[Russia] has always brought in and will bring in all possible input into settlement of all issues.”

This is the first visit by a South Korean President to Russia in 19 years. Putin sees this as an opportunity to enhance political and economic ties with Seoul and South Korea is happy to oblige. Both sides are ready to press ahead with business.

But military expert Vladimir Evseev says its not just about financial gains for Russia.

“Russia has sanctions, and sometimes it is difficult for us to receive technology from the West,” he explained.

“If South Korea helps us receive modern technology, Russia may develop more quickly. So for us, it is important to receive money and technology, and we at the same time, are ready to help with the stabilization of the Korean Peninsula. Both sides have interest for mutual cooperation.”

The two leaders welcome the opportunities that await, but they will need to ensure that their warming relations with the DPRK don’t break down.