SEOUL, May 1 (UPI) — United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has accepted South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s request to participate in verifying the closure of North Korea’s main nuclear test site, and turning the demilitarized zone into a peace zone.
Spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom told reporters Tuesday the South Korean president held a 30 minute phone call with the U.N. secretary general that day, during which the two agreed to work together in fulfilling the two Koreas’ Panmunjom Declaration.
Moon and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un agreed last Friday to pursue a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, formally end the war and seek a peace treaty.
The inter-Korean summit was the first to take place in eleven years.
During his conversation with Guterres, Moon explained the vision of turning the tension-filled border into a genuine peace zone and asked for the United Nations’ participation in the process, JoongAng Ilbo reported.
He also asked Guterres to push for the General Assembly or Security Council to produce a declaration that supports or upholds the Panmunjom Agreement.
Guterres said he has the will to cooperate and such efforts will require the approval of the Security Council — adding he will make efforts to support the peace settlement of the Korean Peninsula.
He also promised to designate a U.N. disarmament official to work with the South Korean government, SBS reported.
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