SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korean President Moon Jae-in asked his Indonesian counterpart on Monday to support efforts to achieve denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Indonesia has historical ties with North Korea. Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno, was a friend of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of current ruler Kim Jong Un. The two, who shared a distrust of Western powers, established diplomatic ties in the 1950s.
Sukarno’s daughter, Megawati Sukarnoputri, met Kim Jong Un’s dictator father, Kim Jong Il, in 2002 when she served as president.
In a meeting in Seoul, Moon explained recent developments on the Korean Peninsula to Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and asked for his support for efforts to achieve lasting peace and denuclearization, Moon’s office said in a statement.
Moon also thanked him for assisting inter-Korean cooperation during the recent Asian Games in Indonesia. Athletes from the two Koreas marched together in the opening and closing ceremonies and fielded joint teams in some events.
Jokowi invited Moon and Kim Jong Un to the games’ opening ceremony, but neither attended and instead sent top deputies.
Jokowi said he hopes Indonesian ties with South Korea will be further strengthened, according to South Korean media pool reports.
Moon is to hold his third meeting with Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang next week. Kim recently told visiting senior South Korean officials that he has faith in U.S. President Donald Trump and reaffirmed his commitment to a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, according to Moon’s office.
Kim has made similar vague disarmament pledges several times and has taken some steps such as dismantling his nuclear and rocket engine testing sites. U.S. officials have demanded he take additional disarmament measures.
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