SEOUL, Sept 18 — South Korean President Moon Jae In said Friday that South Korea will be able to reach the path of peace and unification unless it gives up hope for dialogue with North Korea, Yonhap news agency reported.
Speaking at a meeting with a group of Buddhist community leaders at Cheong Wa Dae (Blue House), Moon noted the two Koreas will mark the second anniversary on Saturday of his Pyongyang summit deal with the North’s leader Kim Jong Un.
“If (we) don’t give up hope for meetings and dialogue, we will surely move on to the path of peace and unification,” the president said.
Moon pointed out that he and Kim had declared their commitment to peace on the Korean Peninsula in front of 80 million Koreans and the world.
He requested the Buddhist sector’s support, saying the religion has been a “force” for South Korea to overcome hardships.
He requested that the Buddhist community help efforts to open the way for inter-Korean exchanges and advance the path of peace on the peninsula.
Moon also expressed his gratitude to the local Buddhist community for helping the government’s campaign against the novel coronavirus.
The community has suspended regular worship services and even cancelled the Lotus Lantern Festival in spring, a decision that came amid a push for the annual event to be inscribed as UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage, Moon said.
He asked for its continued support for the government’s anti-virus efforts, which are turning into a “prolonged fight” with no end in sight.
Source: BERNAMA