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Former President Moon Jae-in calls for Trump's leadership to resolve Korean Peninsula tensions

Published: 07 Mar. 2026, 14:43

LEE SOO-JUNG
[email protected]

Former President Moon Jae-in delivers his keynote speech at RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California, on March 6. [YONHAP]

Former President Moon Jae-in said U.S. President Donald Trump’s "generous determination” is the only key to solving the deadlock situation on the Korean Peninsula during his keynote speech in California on Friday.

During his remarks at the U.S.-based think tank RAND Corporation, Moon said that he believes personal rapport and trust between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is a valuable asset in overcoming the diplomatic impasse, adding that the failed North-U.S. Summit in 2019 should not lead to the abandonment of peace.

Referring to the upcoming Trump’s visit to China next month, Moon noted that the occasion could serve as a crucial moment to bring peace to the Peninsula.

“President Trump’s admirable legacy as a peacemaker will be left if he opens a new peaceful path on the Korean Peninsula by overcoming disappointments from Hanoi,” Moon said. “Thereby, I anticipate his generous determination once again.”

Moon also relayed his message to Kim, whom he met several times for inter-Korean summits and on the sidelines of North-U.S. talks in 2018 and 2019 during his presidency.

“I hope for [the North’s] Chairman Kim to hold hands with U.S. President Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who expressed their willingness for dialogue,” Moon said.

“For Kim, Trump is a hard-to-meet person and the best partner for the dialogue. Isolation and confrontation will never guarantee North Korea’s future.”

Moon attributed the failure of the Hanoi Summit to the "all or nothing" strategy employed at the meeting. He said a practical, phased approach with concessions was needed for mutually beneficial coexistence.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, holds hands with then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Mount Paektu in North Korea on Sept. 20, 2018. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Moon also underscored the importance of the Korea-U.S. alliance for peace in the Peninsula, noting that it should pursue becoming a “peace-oriented” alliance rather than focusing on addressing external threats.

The former Korean president also called on the United States to play a pivotal role in leading global solidarity in times when the rules-based international order is crumbling. Referring to the ongoing war between Iran and the United States, Moon said the use of military force would never be a fundamental solution but rather trigger retaliation and hatred.

Moon noted that Korea could be a player in settling global peace by utilizing its economic, defense and cultural capabilities.

“Korea has become a nation of soft power by winning the hearts of people worldwide through high cultural competencies,” Moon said. “Korea will fulfill its responsibilities to uphold universal values of humanity, such as freedom and democracy, in solidarity with the world.”

“Now, world leaders should join their hands and overcome differences in their political orientations in every challenge, ranging from peace and security to climate change and technological revolutions,” Moon said.

Moon arrived in the United States on Thursday. He has since met with youth leaders striving to foster better relations between Seoul and Washington and received an award from the nonpartisan Pacific Century Institute. His return schedule has not been disclosed.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [[email protected]]